When Xiao Lin found Hong, it was at an orphanage. At that time, he was with the old man and some other siblings attending a charity event, which frankly was just for show. He was always uninterested in such occasions, unlike those siblings who enjoyed being in the spotlight. Keeping a low profile was a habit he developed from a young age.

Hong was the least noticeable of all the orphans, short and with dark skin matching his eyes, curled up in a corner. On stage, Xiao Lin noticed this person who was away from the crowd.

In the late autumn season, still wearing thin shorts, looking like someone saying 'if you don't bully me, who will?', there was a large wound on his foot, already festering, with skin that was dried beyond what would be expected for his age, and scratched marks all over. Scratching due to itchy skin is normal, but Xiao Lin's instincts told him something was wrong with this child.

Xiao Lin was three years older than Hong; he immediately went to find Hong, grabbed his calf without saying a word, and saw that Hong's resistance was as futile as an egg hitting a rock.

"Diabetes?" Xiao Lin asked while looking down, the festering wound needed immediate treatment, and there were large patches of red dots on the skin. "Come with me."

"Why?" Hong asked softly, realizing this person was not here to bully him.

"No reason."

Xiao Lin was only fifteen at the time, and Hong was twelve. It took him four years to nurse and treat Hong back to health when he was sixteen. You could say Hong was Xiao Lin's guinea pig, willingly becoming one at the cost of gaining hope for survival.

Hong had a different meaning to Xiao Lin; exaggeratedly speaking, he gave Hong a second life, much like a mother cherishes her child.

"Been staying up late recently? Did Yi not take good care of you?" Xiao Lin asked with concern, noticing severe liver and gallbladder heat and some floating kidney function.

"Yi is fierce; he makes me go to bed before ten," Hong peeked at Xiao Lin, recently taking on a case which could earn him a nice commission.

"Working on side jobs?" Xiao Lin's face turned stern.

"No," Hong, guilty, dared not meet Xiao Lin's gaze, but his fingers danced swiftly on the keyboard: "It's for trial play of a new game from a game developer, so…"

"Alright, I won't blame you." Yi stepped in through the roll-up door, carrying a toolbox: "The task I gave Yi wasn't done well, it's his responsibility, he should be punished."

Yi, who just entered, stared blankly at Zimu and his brother, the latter just looked at him sympathetically without explanation. What's going on? He had sent that woman back in the afternoon, then busied himself fixing the ventilation system; despite being so diligent, how did he end up with the conclusion of a job not well done?

"Don't!" Hong put down the laptop and dashed to Yi. His frail figure only reached Yi's chin; his fine hair clung to his fair face, and his three-dimensional features made this face strikingly visually impactful. Hong had one-quarter German blood; he was a mixed-race child.

"What's wrong with you today? Frustrated? Such a big temper." Xiang Shou, biting a toothpick, descended the stairs. The flip-flops clapped against the metal staircase. "What are you here for?" He looked at Xiao Lin with impatience and annoyance, taking a carton of milk from the fridge. "If you're here to vent, I don't have time to accompany you."

The atmosphere in the room was tense; Zimu and Zirlin cautiously edged back, fearing involvement, and Hong nervously curled in Yi's arms.

"Want to fight?" Xiao Lin curled his lips, while Xiang Shou shrugged nonchalantly.

"If fighting makes you normal, I'm happy to oblige."

"I'm not here to fight." After saying this, Xiao Lin heard the breathing sounds of the four people behind him, and Zirlin set down his plate, which was used for eating, knowing once broken it could never be replaced.

"Who hurt you, Zimu?"

"Zirlin and I entered the Wang Family from the second floor, while Zirlin was at one end near the kitchen." Zimu recalled the scene at the time. "Shortly after Poison Dragon appeared, an old man showed up on the second floor. I had intended to blend into the darkness but unexpectedly, there was a hidden door between the second and first floors."

"You weren't with Zirlin and them?"

"No, the hidden door led to a basement that opened to the villa's surroundings. There was a formidable middle-aged man, speaking with a Mandarin dialect that wasn't very standard. That man ran out after hearing gunshots, allowing me to escape."

From the following sounds, Xiao Lin indeed heard gunfire and a crashing noise.

"The scene was chaotic at the time. Zi Lin and I slipped into another storage room in the corridor; Fatty Wang had laid an ambush beforehand. After Zhang Teng shot a few people, he planned to threaten Fatty Wang to escape through the window. Just then, a very strange person came in through the window."

"That person had a weapon resembling a spike, with a barb at the tip, and sharp little spikes along the shaft." Listening to Zi Lin's description, Xiao Lin roughly knew what kind of weapon it was. He had seen such a thing when fighting Flame Swallow, and Consort Ling's injury was severely inflicted by it.

"This person was very small, seemed to be a woman, wore a mask covering half her face, with red pupils."

"I've seen this weapon; she's with 'Black Crow.'" Xiao Lin frowned, wondering what relationship 'Black Crow' had with the Wang Family. Or should he say, what kind of cooperation did they reach? "Hong, can you enlarge this photo?" Xiao Lin handed the photo he got from Wu Shuang over to Hong. "I need to know who Zhang Teng saw last."

"Hmm, I'll try." Hong placed the photo into his professional enlarger, capturing the necessary image to scan into the computer. "If the pixels aren't enough, it might take some time to repair and restore."

Xiang Shou finished his milk and lay down on a sofa, closing his eyes. He hadn't expressed any opinions from the start until suddenly he spoke: "There were six people at the scene—Zhang Teng, Fatty Wang, Poison Dragon, two assassins, and then the middle-aged man Zimu mentioned abruptly appeared. Zhang Teng clearly tensed up when he saw this person." He turned over, supported his head with one hand. "As for the last person who arrived, I couldn't clearly see their appearance and movements; it was very quick. She appeared for only about three minutes, so I ignored it." Feeling a bit drowsy, he began to nod off. "Now, the most important thing is not to figure out who is who, but where is the recording Zhang Teng mentioned? Does this evidence truly exist?"

Xiao Lin suddenly walked towards Xiang Shou, who opened his eyes alertly and shook his head at Xiao Lin.

"Refusing won't work. If you're not going, then give me the address." Xiao Lin was serious, and in his dark eyes, there was an element that could not be refused. Xiang Shou furrowed his handsome brows for the first time, feeling conflicted inside.

"That place isn't suitable for us." Yet another rejection.

"How will we know if it's suitable if we don't try?" Xiao Lin still wouldn't relent, staring intensely at Xiang Shou.

"You're putting yourself into a dangerous situation again."

"If there's danger, we just eliminate it. I need to know all of Zhang Teng's whereabouts, even though he is already dead."

Xiang Shou sighed; they all knew Xiao Lin's stubbornness, but that place was not easily controllable by ordinary people. Its existence was not as straightforward and obvious as a dungeon; it had a fixed purpose.

Xiang Shou's silence was clear in Xiao Lin's eyes. Xiao Lin understood that past of his, so in the end, Xiao Lin gave up and turned to Hong instead.

"The photo's pixels aren't high enough; I need a day or two to complete it." Hong puckered his lips, the large magnified image on the screen showed blocks of color, unclear in appearance.

"Just send me an email."

Zhang Teng's death didn't bring much opportunity for Xiao Lin. One might say this person's death was a bit unjustified. Xiao Lin repeatedly listened to and watched the footage of the incident, undisturbed by anyone, with no one daring to approach him. Xiang Shou silently returned to the upper workshop to complete his order task; Yi quietly guarded by Xiao Lin's side, his anxiety clear in Yi's eyes.

Perhaps no one understood the source of this anxiety better than Yi. The time given by the old master was not much, and Xiao Lin had to resolve everything within this timeframe, which was a kind of pressure for Xiao Lin. Originally, he thought to use Zhang Teng as a thread to solve all the problems, but now it seemed to have sidetracked.

They had simplified the problem; the Wang Family wasn't just one family. Was their backing the 'Black Crow'? Clearly, with the Wang Family's strength, they could engage people from the underground city. But considering the assassins that appeared, this level far exceeded the Wang Family's supposed strength. In other words, there's another force manipulating things behind the Wang Family. Was this Fatty Wang's certainty?

"Xiao, come and see." Hong buried his head in the computer, holding a photo for comparison. "Xiang Shou just mentioned there were six people along with the woman who appeared later, making it seven in total. But in this photo, there's the impression of an eighth person." On the screen, Hong circled with a red electronic pen on an inconspicuous carpet area; this was an easily overlooked place, as seen from various angles, it was a blind spot with no one there, yet there were depressions in the thick carpet.

"There's an eighth person at the scene." Xiao Lin concluded, more eager to know who Zhang Teng saw after he died.

"Xiao!" Yi dragged Xiao Lin out the door, lighting a cigarette, remaining silent.

"What can't be said inside?" Xiao Lin stared at Yi. Ever since the old master came by, Yi had been behaving oddly, his actions somewhat hesitant. "What did the old master say to you? Making you so timid."

"Go back to the United States! Leave handling matters here to us. If you want to destroy the Wang Family, we'll kill Fatty Wang for you, so..."

Xiao Lin grabbed Yi by the collar, shoving him against the wall. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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