A perfect crime? To me, it's full of flaws!

The trail of the "shepherd" has gone cold.

The cyber security team worked three sleepless nights, tracing the IP address through more than a dozen layers of hijacking before finally disappearing into an unnamed server in the Pacific Ocean.

The domestic crime database was thoroughly searched, and no case was found that involved instigating murder and presenting it as an "artwork."

This person either committed crimes abroad or is just a scoundrel who only dares to boast in the dark web.

Liu Yuanshan closed the case file and stubbed out his cigarette: "Hold it off for now. This case is closed, but keep your eyes peeled. That bastard will show his face again sooner or later."

This seed of doubt was firmly planted in the hearts of everyone involved in the case.

But Qi Feng didn't care about any of that. If the shepherd couldn't be caught, that was the cybersecurity department's problem. But his senior brother Qin An could be caught!

"Master was right! The case is closed!" Qi Feng sprang up from the sofa, grabbed Qin An, whose arm was in a sling, and said, "Senior Brother, that seafood buffet in the south of the city is 398 yuan per person. You were supposed to pay, so let's go?"

Qin An's lips twitched twice as he looked at Qi Feng's hungry wolf-like face and nodded helplessly.

7 p.m., private room at "Sea Flavor" restaurant in the south of the city.

Qi Feng pushed open the door, still excitedly muttering, "Sister Haitang, you're going to pick out all the king crabs later. I heard they cost extra! Eat him out of house and home..."

The sound stopped abruptly the moment the door opened.

Qi Feng's one foot was dangling in mid-air, his smile instantly froze, and his pupils dilated violently.

In the main seat of the private room sat a woman. She was in her early thirties, wearing a plain knitted sweater, her hair casually pulled back.

She was rinsing the bowls and chopsticks with boiling water, her movements unhurried and deliberate.

Beside her, Lin Haitang held a teacup, her shoulders swaying slightly, clearly struggling to suppress her laughter.

"Wen... Sister." Qi Feng stammered, silently pulling his dangling foot back and standing straight against the door frame, like a telephone pole.

Li Wen.

Qin An's first wife.

To outsiders, she is a gentle police officer's wife and a virtuous helpmate.

But in Qi Feng's eyes, this was the only living Yama in S City.

The two came from the same orphanage. Li Wen was twelve years older than him.

When Qi Feng was three years old, he wet the bed, and Li Wen washed the sheets; when he was seven, he got into a fight with street thugs and his head was cracked open, and Li Wen chased the thugs for three blocks with a brick in her hand.

The eldest sister is like a mother. This is a bloodline suppression etched into his bones. Qi Feng fears nothing and no one, except for Li Wen's frown. Because she is serious, and Qi Feng doesn't even dare to dodge.

"Standing at the door like a greeter?" Li Wen didn't even lift her eyelids. "Come sit down."

Qi Feng, like a robot with a pre-programmed routine, moved awkwardly to the chair at the very edge, placing his hands flat on his knees, as obedient as a child on his first day of kindergarten.

Qin An sat on the other side of Li Wen, picked up the teacup with his only remaining right hand, and grinned from ear to ear.

Li Wen put down the kettle, wiped her hands with a tissue, and turned her gaze to Qi Feng.

"I heard you went after a murderer?" The tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Ah... um. It was just... a coincidence." Qi Feng stared intently at the pattern on the tablecloth, as if it were a world-famous painting.

"You scoundrel, you've got some nerve. You think this forensic investigation job is enough for you? Want to become a frontline detective? Should I buy you a million-dollar accidental death insurance policy tomorrow, with my name as the beneficiary?"

His gaze was like a knife, each strike potentially fatal.

Qi Feng lowered his head even further, not daring to utter a sound. In his mind, he was frantically cursing: "Sis, I'm cheating! I have a cheat code! But I can't say it!"

Qin An couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Snapped!"

Li Wen slapped Qin An hard across the back of the head. The sound was crisp and loud.

Qin An's laughter was swallowed back down by a slap. He covered his head, looking aggrieved, and said, "Wife, why did you hit me?"

"He didn't say you?" Li Wen's eyebrows shot up as she pointed at Qin An's arm, which was slinged over his chest. "Why did you rush over so fast? To make your legs look longer? A gas explosion! Are you disappointed that you didn't die? If you want me to be a widow, just say so!"

Qin An immediately shrank back, forcing a smile and saying, "No, no, it was an accident, it was all an accident..."

Inside the private room, two men, each over six feet tall, stood side by side, one with his arm in a sling and the other with his shoulders hunched over, looking like two trembling little quails.

Lin Haitang couldn't hold back any longer. She turned her head and laughed silently at the wall until she bent over.

After scolding the two troublemakers, Li Wen took a deep breath, her expression changing as quickly as turning the pages of a book.

She turned to Lin Haitang, her face instantly beaming with a warm smile: "Haitang, I'm so sorry to have troubled you. These two brothers are both a real handful."

Lin Haitang turned around, her expression already cool and aloof, though her eyes were still a little red: "No, Sister Wen, it was quite interesting."

"Eat up, don't be shy, Qin An's paying today." Li Wen enthusiastically placed a crab leg on Lin Haitang's plate, then casually struck up a conversation, "How old is Haitang this year? Who else lives in your family?"

Lin Haitang politely replied, "I'm twenty-six. My parents are in the provincial capital. I was transferred here with Director Liu to help out."

"Twenty-six is ​​good, girls are most sensible at that age." Li Wen's eyes lit up, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Lin Haitang and Qi Feng. "You're so busy with work, you probably don't have time for dating, right? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Upon hearing this, the air in the private room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Qi Feng suddenly looked up and frantically winked at Li Wen: Sis! Dear sister! Don't play matchmaker! This woman could break a pervert's bones with one kick, your little brother's small body can't withstand it!

Li Wen completely ignored him, staring intently at Lin Haitang.

Lin Haitang paused for a moment, her hand still holding the food. She glanced at Qi Feng, a barely perceptible smile curving her lips.

"Not yet, Sister Wen," Lin Haitang said in a clear voice. "I'm usually busy with cases, so I haven't met anyone suitable."

"Oh, that's great!" Li Wen slapped her thigh. "What do you think of my Xiao Feng? Don't let his usual carefree attitude fool you, he's actually very honest. Plus, he's like me—protective and doting on his wife. Most importantly, he can take a beating."

"Cough cough cough!" Qi Feng choked on a mouthful of tea and coughed violently.

Qin An was trying hard to suppress his laughter, his shoulders shaking like someone with Parkinson's.

Lin Haitang put down her chopsticks, rested her chin on her hands, and carefully examined Qi Feng, seemingly evaluating the value of this "commodity".

"Resilient?" Lin Haitang asked with a half-smile. "That's quite practical."

Qi Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly realized that this meal was more dangerous than facing Zhou Decai's scalpel.

The dinner ended amidst Li Wen's one-sided sales pitch and Qi Feng's utter despair.

Qin An went to the front desk to pay the bill, taking the opportunity to experience the pain of a massive financial drain.

Li Wen pulled Lin Haitang to scan a QR code at the door to add each other on WeChat, and they chatted enthusiastically.

Qi Feng stood on the steps outside the restaurant, feeling the night breeze, and felt as if he had finally come back to life.