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Inside the arcade surveillance point, the air conditioner whirred, but it couldn't dispel the tense atmosphere that had solidified in the air.

Xiao Ding stared at the monitor screen, his eyes sore that he almost cried.

On the screen, Uncle Yi was sitting in his well-decorated office, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the mahogany tabletop.

“Uncle Yi met with three groups of people today,” Xiao Ding rubbed his eyes, his voice hoarse. “The first group was from the building materials company, and we talked for less than ten minutes; the second group was that guy surnamed Liu, who brought two unfamiliar faces; and the third group was Cui Ye.”

"I just came to take a look! Anyway, I can no longer handle this case, so I'll go find Gao Shuhua and Yan Yan next."

"Master, is there any progress?"

"not yet."

Cui Wei stood in front of the case information board, his marker drawing a red circle around the word "tunnel".

The case board was covered with photos, maps, and timelines, but the tunnel area remained blank.

“We’ve checked every possible place,” Cui Wei said, turning to face his team members with a furrowed brow. “Only the 930 tunnel is closed for construction, so our people haven’t had a chance to get in yet.”

Xiao Ding handed over a cup of coffee. "Boss, should we send someone to scout ahead first?"

Cui Wei shook his head. "It's too risky. If the hostage is really there, we'll alert the enemy and be done for."

He picked up his coat. “I’ll go myself. You guys keep an eye on Uncle Yi, especially any contact he has with Cui Ye.”

"Okay! Master, you can rest assured."

……

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous bungalow on the outskirts of the city, Cui Ye was sitting face to face with Uncle Yi.

The room lights were deliberately dimmed, and the wall clock ticked regularly.

"Teacher Cui is indeed punctual. Where is the account book?" Uncle Yi pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with shrewdness.

"Where's the money?"

Liu Qinglong placed a black leather suitcase on the table, opened it a crack to reveal neatly arranged banknotes inside, and said, "Five million, not a penny less!"

Uncle Yi chuckled softly, picked up the cigar cutter on the table, and slowly trimmed the cigar. "Teacher Cui, I'm a little curious, how do you manage to do all this?"

Cui Ye did not answer immediately. His gaze swept across every corner of the room, finally settling on the seemingly deserted house across the window.

A barely perceptible reflection flashed past the opposite window, and Uncle Yi frowned, understanding everything.

Uncle Yi exhaled a smoke ring, his smile deepening. "Impressive! That's why I'm even more curious: knowing he's being watched, why did Mr. Cui dare to go to the meeting alone? What are his plans?"

Cui Ye took out a cell phone from his inner pocket, dialed a number, and handed it to Liu Qinglong. "Liu Qinglong, take the money and walk along the railway. Don't hang up the phone the whole time."

"..." Liu Qinglong, who took the phone, glanced at Uncle Yi.

After Uncle Yi nodded slightly, he led the money and people to the location Cui Ye had mentioned.

After a while, a muffled response came from the other end of the phone.

Cui Ye continued, "I'll tell you the specific steps when we get to the top of the slope. Remember, the timing is crucial."

……

Deep inside the tunnel, the damp air was filled with the smells of mildew and rust.

Gao Shuhua's wrists were already bleeding from being rubbed raw by the rough rope, but she still persisted in twisting them.

Yan Yan huddled in the corner beside him, her little face pale.

"Mom, I'm cold." Yan Yan's voice was trembling with tears.

Gao Shuhua stopped what she was doing and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her shoulder. "Hang in there a little longer, baby. Mommy will definitely save you."

Her gaze swept across the dark tunnel, and she suddenly noticed something reflecting a faint light in the corner.

Gao Shuhua moved her body with difficulty, groping with her bound hands.

"Yan Yan, help Mommy see what that is," she said softly.

Yan Yan crawled over and dug a metal object out of the dust. "Is...is it a gun?"

The child's voice trembled.

Gao Shuhua gasped.

It was an old-fashioned revolver, rusty but still usable; it had been left behind by the robbers.

She gritted her teeth and continued to rub the rope on her wrist, "Give Mom a little more time..."

……

On the railway bridge, Liu Qinglong glanced at his watch and nodded to his accomplice beside him.

The sound of a train whistle came from afar, growing closer and closer.

"Three, two, one... Now!"

The bag containing five million in cash landed precisely in the coal truck's compartment.

Almost simultaneously, inside the train station, one ear rested against a pillar, a cell phone pressed tightly against the ear.

"The money has been loaded onto the train," the voice on the other end of the phone said. "We'll arrive in seventeen minutes."

One-Ear grinned, revealing his gold tooth, and said, "Received."

He hung up the phone, his gaze sweeping over the sparse passengers on the platform, finally settling on a uniformed policeman with a sinister look in his eyes.

……

Cui Ye stood at the agreed handover point, with two burly men sent by Uncle Yi to "escort" him.

He glanced at his watch, then suddenly pointed into the distance, "Is that your car?"

Taking advantage of the moment when the two were distracted, Cui Ye suddenly rushed towards a seemingly ordinary civilian car parked on the side of the road.

The car door was already unlocked, and he leaped inside. The car immediately sped away.

"Quick! To the freight station!" Cui Ye said to the plainclothes policeman in the driver's seat.

The car sped along the ring road, and Cui Ye kept looking back.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang.

The caller ID shows only one ear.

One-Ear's voice was like a venomous snake's hiss, "Teacher Cui, let me remind you, your wife and children are in my hands. If you dare to try anything..."

Cui Ye's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw a police car following them closely.

"Stop the car!" Cui Ye suddenly shouted.

"Teacher Cui, what exactly do you want to do?" The policeman driving the car looked surprised.

"I said stop the car!" Cui Ye pulled open the car door and rolled off the road the moment the car slowed down.

Ignoring the pain, he got up and flagged down a taxi.

"Train station, quick!"

……

Inside the freight station, Cui Ye dragged the heavy suitcase out of the coal pile.

Upon opening it, one finds neatly stacked pink banknotes.

His hands trembled slightly, whether from anger or relief, it was hard to tell.

"Did you get it?" A gentle male voice came from behind.

Cui Ye turned around and saw Su Ning leaning against an iron pillar, playing with a bunch of keys in her hand.

Cui Ye pushed the box over, "Su Ning, are my wife and son really okay?"

"Don't worry! Chai Jing has been protecting them secretly, and your brother Cui Wei is on his way too." Su Ning chuckled and handed over an identical box. "There's blank paper inside, enough to help you deal with what's coming next."

"okay, I get it."

At this moment, Su Ning tilted his head and looked at Cui Ye in front of him. "Now, Teacher Cui, you are facing a choice: are you prepared to go to jail, or do you need me to arrange for you to settle in Hong Kong?"

Cui Ye frowned. "Why are you helping me?"

"It's just for fun!" Su Ning shrugged. "But let me warn you, after what happened, Gao Shuhua probably won't want to continue the relationship with you. So you don't need to worry about her at all."

Cui Ye's eyes sharpened. "I know! But I'm more curious about you. It's obvious you don't care about the money at all, so who exactly are you? And why are you involved in this?"

Su Ning simply smiled, turned, and walked into the shadows. "Time is running out! Teacher Cui, the police will find the tunnel soon. Do you want to save your family, or keep your freedom?"

"..." Su Ning's question hit the nail on the head, leaving Cui Ye momentarily dumbfounded.

……

Inside the police station in front of the station, one ear impatiently tapped on the table.

"I've said it so many times, I'm just here to pick someone up, where would I get a controlled knife?"

The police officer taking his statement looked up at him. "Someone reported you for carrying dangerous items, we must..."

"Did you find the so-called controlled knife?"

"Alright! Sign here and you can leave."

"Humph!"

Then One Ear signed his name on the document and left the station police station.

Just as he got back to his van, One Ear's phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and his expression changed drastically.

After walking to the corner to answer the call, his expression changed from anger to fear.

"Cui Ye...you have the money?" He lowered his voice. "Listen to me, your wife and children are all fine, I promise..."

On the other end of the phone, Cui Ye's voice was as cold as ice: "If my wife and son are missing even a single hair, you'll never see that five million. Now, tell me where they are?"

……

Inside the tunnel, with a muffled thud, Gao Shuhua finally bit through the rope.

Trembling, she picked up the revolver and fired three shots at the lock on the iron gate.

Gunshots rang out deafeningly in the enclosed tunnel, and Yan Yan covered her ears.

“It’s no use… I can’t open it…” Gao Shuhua slid to the ground in despair.

Just then, the roar of an engine was heard in the distance.

A beam of car headlights pierced the darkness, illuminating the depths of the tunnel.

"Mom, someone's coming!" Yan Yan exclaimed.

Gao Shuhua instinctively shielded the child behind her and raised her pistol, aiming it at the light source.

The sound of wheels rolling over gravel grew closer and closer...

The iron gate deep inside the tunnel was kicked open with a piercing scream as the rusty hinges screeched open.

The lunatic walked in, dragging an alcohol stove with him. His mutilated left ear looked like a piece of dried tree bark in the dim light.

"Time to eat, you little brat." He threw the instant noodle bag onto the cement floor, splashing water from the aluminum basin onto Yan Yan's face.

Gao Shuhua immediately shielded her son behind her, her wrists, which were tied behind her back, began to bleed again: "He's still a child, if he has any problems, come at me."

One-Ear grinned, revealing gold teeth, and pulled a dagger from his back waist: "That bastard Cui Ye schemed against me, making me lose the five million that was already in my hands."

Yan Yan suddenly darted out from behind her mother and kicked over the aluminum basin.

"Ah..." Scalding water splashed onto one of the trouser legs, and the kidnapper let out a beast-like howl.

"You're lying!" Yan Yan's voice trembled but was unusually clear. "Dad will definitely come to save us."

The sound of a slap echoed like muffled thunder in a confined space.

Yan Yan was slapped so hard that she slammed into the wall, and blood immediately gushed from her nose.

One ear grabbed the child's collar and raised its fist, but heard a soft metallic scraping sound.

Gao Shuhua moved to the corner of the wall at some point and picked up the rusty revolver with her bound hands.

"Let go of my son." Her voice was eerily calm.

The gunshot shook the lime dust off people's heads.

He staggered backward, clutching the bleeding stump of his right ear, blood and foam smeared on his gold teeth: "You bitch, you're asking for it..."

……

The morning mist, like a veil, shrouded the winding outline of Highway 303.

Cui Wei gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The clock on the dashboard showed 6:17, but the leaden sky made it impossible to tell whether it was dawn or dusk.

The tires suddenly sank into a hidden ditch, and the SUV let out a painful groan before coming to a complete stop.

"Damn it!" Cui Wei slammed his fist on the steering wheel. He grabbed his phone, then put it down again; there was no signal here.

He then pulled out his sidearm to check the magazine; the nine-millimeter bullets gleamed coldly in the morning light.

The moment I opened the car door, a damp mist mixed with the smell of rust hit me.

Three kilometers away, the abandoned 930 tunnel looks like a gaping maw.

Cui Wei jogged forward, the only sounds he could hear were his own rapid breathing and the sound of his boots crushing gravel.

As we rounded the last bend, a silver van without license plates abruptly stopped at the tunnel entrance, its door ajar.

Just as Cui Wei was about to approach and investigate, a gunshot suddenly rang out from deep within the tunnel, the echo reverberating through the concrete structure.

He immediately crouched down, pressing his earpiece with one hand: "Command center, this is Cui Wei. A suspicious vehicle has been spotted in the 930 tunnel on Highway 303. Gunshots have been heard. Requesting backup..."

Another gunshot interrupted the call, and all that could be heard in the earpiece was static.

Cui Wei gritted his teeth, sent out the location coordinates, and crouched down to feel his way into the tunnel.

In the darkness, his pupils dilated rapidly, yet he still couldn't see clearly what was happening five meters away.

……

Cui Wei was walking along the damp tunnel wall when he was suddenly blinded by a bright light.

He instinctively rolled to the side, sparks flying from the concrete ground where he had been standing, and bullets whizzed past his tactical vest.

"Police! Drop your weapons!" Cui Wei shouted as he fired a series of shots, using the muzzle flash to see the other man's mutilated ear.

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the darkness.

One-Ear's flashlight was knocked away, but the next second he pounced on Cui Wei and grabbed him by the throat.

The two men rolled into the puddle, and as they exchanged blows, Cui Wei's police ID slipped out of his pocket.

"Cop?" One-Eared, panting heavily, pressed his knee against Cui Wei's chest, a pistol pressed against his forehead. "Perfect for a blood sacrifice..."

"Stop!" Gao Shuhua's scream came from behind.

She pulled Yan Yan to the fork in the road, her revolver pointed behind one ear, "Stop..."

In that moment of distraction, Cui Wei suddenly raised his elbow and struck the kidnapper in the Adam's apple.

With one ear hurting and loosening its grip, Cui Wei took the opportunity to roll behind cover, but his sidearm slipped off his waist in the chaos.

Cui Wei touched the warm liquid seeping from his waist in pain; the wound that had been cut open by the steel bar was bleeding.

"Sister-in-law, take Yan Yan and go first!" Cui Wei tore off a piece of his sleeve to bandage his wound, his voice hoarse from the pain. "Run towards the east exit, there are police..."

Before he could finish speaking, a bullet from Yier shattered the concrete block where he was hiding.

The flying shards cut blood on Cui Wei's face. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Gao Shuhua and her son disappear around the corner.

At that moment, Cui Ye's voice suddenly echoed in the tunnel.

He was standing at the crossroads twenty meters away, carrying a silver suitcase in his left hand and a lighter in his right.

"One-Ear, the money's right here." Cui Ye kicked the lid of the box under his foot, but instead poured gasoline directly on it. "If you dare to mess around again, I'll make sure you don't get a single penny."

One-Ear's pupils contracted sharply, and the gun barrel twitched between Cui Wei and the banknotes: "Slide the box over here!"

“How about we count to three?” Cui Ye’s voice was frighteningly calm. “You put down the gun, and I’ll put down the lighter.”

"one."

A bead of sweat slid down from one temple and dripped onto the trigger.

"two."

Cui Wei quietly reached out to grab the sidearm that had fallen not far away.

"three!"

Gunshots and the clanging of metal rang out simultaneously. Cui Wei leaped and caught his sidearm; the bullet struck the wrist of the man holding the gun with pinpoint accuracy.

Cui Ye had already lunged to the side, his lighter tracing an orange-red arc in the air...

"No!" One-Eared looked at the falling fire.

Despite his injuries, he tried to lunge at the box full of banknotes.

Flames roared up, casting flickering light on the three faces.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cui Ye rushed towards Cui Wei: "Big Brother!"

"Leave me alone!" Cui Wei pushed him away. "Go after Shuhua and Yanyan!"

Without saying a word, Cui Ye helped his brother up, and the two staggered toward the eastern exit.

Suddenly, a beast-like howl came from behind. One-Eared tried to snatch the burning "five million" from the fire, completely disregarding his own clothes and body that were already on fire.

"Money...my money..." The voice of One-Ear no longer sounded human.

He was seen embracing the already burning "five million" as he perished in the flames...

……

Sunlight poured down on the tunnel exit like molten gold.

Cui Ye squinted, the stainless steel handcuffs on his wrists reflecting a blinding light.

Cui Wei, standing beside him, was also handcuffed, with dried bloodstains on his pale cheeks.

“I never expected it to end like this.” Cui Ye coughed twice, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. “Brother, from childhood to adulthood, it seems like I’ve always lived in your shadow.”

The siren grew louder as it approached, but neither of the brothers moved.

As Cui Ye gazed at the eagles circling in the distance, he suddenly remembered his father taking them to fly kites when he was a child, and his kite always flew the highest.

Cui Wei's voice was very soft, "Do you regret it?"

Cui Ye turned his head and noticed a strange light gleaming in his brother's eyes.

That wasn't resentment, but a sense of relief.

"No regrets! I think you would do the same."

"Yes! Yan Yan is still so young, she hasn't seen the wonders of this world yet."

"Brother, I'm entrusting Yan Yan to you. You must cure his illness."

"..."

The mountain mist was dispelled by the sunlight, revealing the winding road in the distance.

At this moment, Cui Ye stared at the reflective markings flashing on the road and thought of the goldfish in the fish tank that always died for no reason.

"Brother, do you know why goldfish die so easily?"

"why?"

"Because nature is still more suitable for their survival."

"..."

Soon the police car finally stopped in front of them.

As the gloved police officer opened the car door, Cui Wei suddenly leaned close to his younger brother Cui Ye's ear and said, "Actually, I knew all along that there was more than just Dad in the grave."

Cui Ye was stiff all over, but Cui Wei had already climbed into the police car, leaving only half a sentence floating in the wind: "...but I will always be your brother."

……

The oak doors of the courthouse closed slowly, the sound of the case files shut like the final note of fate.

The prosecutor adjusted his glasses: "Defendant Cui Ye, do you plead guilty to the charges of assisting robbers in negotiations and extortion?"

"I plead guilty." Cui Ye's voice was clear and firm as he glanced at the audience.

Gao Shuhua held Yan Yan in her arms as they sat in the last row, the child burying his face deeply in his mother's arms.

Wang Hongyu's wig was askew, and Uncle Yi's suit was wrinkled like pickled vegetables. They confessed one after another like dominoes.

When the judge questioned the driver responsible for the accident, Cui Ye noticed that Cui Wei shook his head slightly in the witness stand.

“I didn’t expect One-Ear and Kim Ha-sung to find me again, and then based on the ledger that Kim Ha-sung produced…” Cui Ye calmly stated the testimony he had fabricated.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the prosecutor draw a question mark over the name "Qin Xiaoming" and then cross it out.

Now, Zhi Er has been burned to ashes, and Jin Xiasheng has also disappeared. They are enough to bear the burden of all the unsolved mysteries.

As the gavel fell, Cui Ye looked out the window.

The poplar catkins of spring are fluttering down, much like the snow that fell on his shoulder when he left home that year.

……

The glass in the prison visiting room was like a stagnant pool.

Yan Yan sat on the chair, squirming incessantly, the Go Association badge pinned to her school uniform collar gleaming.

"Yan Yan, I heard you got first place in Go in your grade?" Cui Ye tried to smile, but his face, which had been deprived of sunlight for a long time, looked particularly pale.

Yan Yan suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the ground with a screeching sound.

Cui Ye saw the churning emotions in his son's eyes: anger, confusion, and a deep longing.

"Why!" Yan Yan's voice was hoarse from puberty, "Daddy, why did you..."

Gao Shuhua pressed down on her son's shoulder and gently shook her head.

She wore a plain-colored dress today, and there were a few strands of gray hair at her temples.

When the bell rang to signal the end of visiting hours, she suddenly bowed deeply to Cui Ye, a gesture that stunned everyone.

"Cui Ye, I will take good care of Yan Yan." Cui Wei promised at the door, his fingers unconsciously stroking the brand-new Rolex. "You... take good care of her."

The scorching heat had already rushed outside.

Looking in the direction where his son Yan Yan disappeared, Cui Ye suddenly remembered the coat that had been draped over the child in the tunnel.

……

Now, Cui Wei has resigned from his position as the head of the criminal investigation detachment and transformed into "General Manager Cui," accepting the large sum of money offered by his friend.

Afterwards, Cui Wei took his mother, wife and daughter, and Gao Shuhua and her son onto the train. Yan Yan nimbly climbed onto the sleeper berth, and everyone made a detailed itinerary for medical treatment and leisure activities.

As the train traveling from Guangzhou to Beijing passed through the tunnel, the scorching sun pressed against the windowpane.

In the shadows, he saw his blurry reflection overlapping with the distant mountains.

“That’s Jinji Ridge,” Cui Wei pointed out the window. “They say there are gold mines in the mountains.”

Cui's mother held her sleeping granddaughter, while Gao Shuhua peeled an apple, the peel forming a long strip.

Cui Wei's wife was quietly discussing strategies for registering at Beijing hospitals.

Yan Yan took out a Go book from her schoolbag, and a black Go stone slipped from between the pages.

When Cui Wei bent down to pick it up, he noticed that the chess piece had a small character "业" (yè, meaning industry/business) engraved on the back.

"Did your dad teach you this?" Cui Wei handed the chess piece back to his nephew.

Yan Yan nodded, then suddenly asked, "Uncle, why did you resign?"

The sound of wheels hitting the rails filled the silence.

Cui Wei looked out the window at the fleeting scenery; the light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter and brighter.

“Because there are some things…” His gold watch gleamed in the sunlight, “more important than catching bad guys.”

As the train emerged from the tunnel, sunlight streamed in.

……

At this moment, Su Ning was lying on a beach in Hawaii with four female confidantes. This was the kind of life she had always wanted.

Chai Jing, standing to the side, looked at Su Ning with disbelief and said, "Su Ning, I really didn't expect Cui Ye to be willing to give up going to jail."

"With One-Ear taking the blame for him, he naturally wants to take this opportunity to settle this score."

"But can it really be resolved?"

"It's hard to say! Now that his brother Cui Wei has joined in, things might get even crazier."

"Su Ning, was my father really killed by Uncle Yi and Liu Qinglong?"

"Yes! Uncle Yi and Liu Qinglong have confessed without hesitation."

"..."

"Think positively! A gambler like your dad is better off dead than alive."

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)