A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"This is no ordinary jade pendant!"

Zhou Yayun clutched the cold, dragon-shaped jade pendant.

"This...this is from the capital...it's from the Western Hills compound...this stuff!"

boom!

If the news that Su Weiqiang and his wife had run away had only made Su Nianci's heart sink, then Zhou Yayun's words that slipped out completely stunned her!

The capital city? The Western Hills compound?!

What place is that?

Su Nianci in her previous life may not have known, but along the way, from Lin Wenjun and Zhou Wenqian's descriptions, she had already gained a vague yet profound understanding of the power structure of this era!

That's the true core of this country! It's in the clouds, a place that ordinary people don't even have the right to touch!

And "Xishan Courtyard"...

Is it...

An absurd guess, so ridiculous it made her scalp tingle, began to grow uncontrollably from the bottom of her heart!

"Ya Yun!"

Lu Zhenguo rushed forward in one stride. He didn't look at the jade pendant, but stared at his wife with an unprecedentedly stern gaze!

His reaction was even more intense than Zhou Yayun's! He didn't even need to look at the jade pendant; the words "capital city" and "Xishan compound" alone were enough to send a chill down his spine!

He snatched the jade pendant from his distraught wife's hands and gripped it tightly in his palm. The cold touch of the pendant instantly calmed him down.

"You...you saw it clearly?" His voice was extremely low, with a tremor that even he himself didn't realize.

Zhou Yayun's lips trembled. She looked at her husband, then at Xiao Shitou, who was hiding behind Su Nianci and trembling with fear of the oppressive atmosphere. Her eyes were filled with immense fear and confusion.

"I... I shouldn't be mistaken..." Her voice was barely audible. "I... Before I married you, I worked as a caregiver in the capital for a while. I saw... I saw them putting this very same jade pendant on their newborn grandson!"

"The dragon pattern, the carving, and the character on the back..."

He slowly opened his palm.

Under the light, the lifelike five-clawed golden dragon seemed to come alive, swirling and about to take flight in the warm jade, exuding a heart-stirring, domineering majesty!

The ancient characters on the back were like a red-hot brand, burning his palm!

The truth is self-evident.

This boy, whom he thought was the orphan of a fallen comrade, this child whom he loved like his own son, was actually... was a descendant of the Xishan compound in Beijing?!

That family whose every stomp of their foot could shake the entire capital...!

A massive political vortex, large enough to engulf them all, appeared before them without warning!

Lu Zhenguo felt a sudden dizziness. He had spent half his life in the military and had experienced countless life-and-death trials, but he had never felt so troubled and...terrified as he did now!

This matter has far exceeded his capabilities!

This is no longer a simple issue of the orphans of martyrs; it involves... a powerful family secret! Even... a bloody political infighting!

Why did Little Stone end up in Henan, thousands of miles away? Why was he covered in wounds and on the verge of death? Why did he suffer from stress-induced aphasia?

What exactly happened to him?!

Where are his parents? Where is that vast family? Are they unaware of Little Stone's existence, or... are they already in dire straits themselves?!

Each question was like a venomous snake, frantically gnawing at Lu Zhenguo's brain!

He glanced at the black-and-white photo hanging on the wall, showing him and Su Weiguo with their arms around each other.

Weiguo, Weiguo... what kind of enormous problem have you given me?!

"From now on, this matter is to be kept buried! No one is allowed to mention it again!"

Lu Zhenguo took a deep breath and spoke to his wife in an unquestionable, commanding tone.

"From now on, Xiao Shitou is Xiao Shitou, my son Lu Zhenguo, and your son Zhou Yayun! He has absolutely nothing to do with Beijing or anyone else! Do you understand?!"

His tone was resolute!

This is an order! And also a protection!

He knew very well that if Xiao Shitou's identity was exposed before he figured out the truth of everything, it might not bring the child wealth and glory, but rather... utter destruction!

It might even implicate their entire family!

Zhou Yayun was awestruck by the long-lost, soldierly aura emanating from her husband, and she nodded heavily with tears in her eyes.

Su Nianci kept her head down the whole time, her small body trembling slightly from the shock of the information and the fear that followed.

She finally understood that the "younger brother" she had picked up casually in the dilapidated temple was not a burden at all, but a... bomb with immense power that could explode at any moment!

She finally understood why the railway policeman Lei Ming was so obsessed with this jade pendant!

He probably... already guessed what it was!

"Nianci".

After dealing with the jade pendant, Lu Zhenguo turned his head and his gaze fell on Su Nianci.

His eyes became incredibly complex.

There is scrutiny, there is exploration, but more than anything, there is a kind of... reliance.

"Come here."

Su Nianci suppressed the turmoil in her heart and tried her best to make her expression look like that of an ordinary child who had been frightened. She obediently walked up to Lu Zhenguo.

Lu Zhenguo squatted down and placed his large hands heavily on Su Nianci's thin shoulders.

"Nianci, you are a smart child. You heard what I just said."

"Dad is in a big problem right now."

"This trouble is a hundred times, a thousand times, bigger than your uncle and aunt's problem."

"Dad needs your help."

Su Nianci raised her head and met his bloodshot, solemn eyes.

She knew that from this moment on, she and he had truly formed an alliance.

"Dad, what do you want to say?"

"I will continue to send people to investigate your uncle and aunt! No matter where they run, I will find them and bring them to justice!"

"But! The network behind them is too well hidden! My men are in the open, making their investigation hampered by their covert operations!"

Lu Zhenguo's voice was filled with resentment and anger.

"I need an unseen 'eye' to help me return to that village, to where it all began, to see, to hear, to find... those clues they deliberately hid!"

"And you," Lu Zhenguo stared intently at Su Nianci, "are the only choice."

What?!

Let her...go back?!

Su Nianci's heart skipped a beat!

"Don't worry! Dad won't let you go on that risky trip alone!" Lu Zhenguo seemed to see through her worries and immediately added, "I'll send my most elite scouts, disguised as your distant relatives, to protect you the whole time!"

"Your task isn't to confront them directly. It's to use your 'victim' status, to exploit the villagers' sympathy and guilt towards you, to get information out of them! To find any clues those two beasts, Su Weiqiang and Wang Guixiang, might have left behind!"

"Why were they able to escape in advance? Who tipped them off? Who was the person they trusted most? Which 'big shots' did they usually associate with?"

"Only a little girl like you, born and raised in the village, the most unassuming girl in the world, would ask such questions!"

Lu Zhenguo's plan was bold, even a bit crazy!

Sending a five-year-old child back to hell as bait!

This is incomprehensible to anyone!

But Su Nianci understood Lu Zhenguo's intention in an instant!

She also realized that this was her only chance to avenge herself and her parents!

It was also her way of proving her worth to Lu Zhenguo...!

She did not hesitate at all.

She looked at the man in front of her who had placed all his hopes on her, and nodded heavily.

"good!"

"Dad, I'll go!"

Her voice was clear and loud, filled with an unwavering determination that belied her age!