Reborn a day later, I emptied my enemy's possessions beforehand.

In the corridor, his leather shoes made a steady sound as they stepped on the floor tiles.

He pushed open the door to the large conference room. Inside, a group of people were either sitting or standing, all with injuries on their faces. When they saw him come in, all eyes turned to him.

Captain Fang stood at the door, holding the folder in his hand. His gaze swept around the conference room before settling on Sun Guiying, Sun Guixiang, and Sun Guiwu.

The three sat together, their swollen faces particularly glaring under the light. Sun Guiying was wearing men's slippers, Sun Guixiang's nose was crooked, and Sun Guiwu was covered in injuries.

"Sun Deming," Captain Fang read out the name, his gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of the three men.

"Is he your father?"

Sun Guiying suddenly stood up from the chair, her bare feet stepping onto the floor tiles. She took a step forward and braced herself against the table next to her to steady herself.

Her mouth was open, her eyes wide and swollen, and her voice was shrill and hoarse, as if she were shouting or asking:

"My dad? Captain Fang, why are you suddenly bringing up my dad? What happened to him?"

Sun Guixiang also stood up. The aftereffects of her plastic surgery were more obvious under her swollen skin, and her crooked nose cast a strange shadow under the light.

Her lips trembled, and her voice was shrill and quivering:

"What happened to my dad? He's back in our hometown, what does that have to do with this?"

Sun Guiwu sprang up from his chair, his face contorted with injuries, and his voice was loud and urgent:

"Was my dad stolen too? Did Zhou Haibing even target my dad?"

Captain Fang did not answer immediately.

He opened the folder, his gaze lingered on the paper for a second, then looked up, his voice steady but each word clear:

"When the Economic Investigation Brigade investigated the bank transfer records of Sun Guiying's account, they discovered that it wasn't just those of you present who had your funds transferred out."

Two other people's money was also transferred to Sun Guiying's card, and then to Hao Yuzhu and the others.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment as everyone's eyes were focused on Captain Fang.

"Zhou Fuxiang," Captain Fang read out the name, his gaze sweeping across the conference room.

"Zhou Haibing's father. And Sun Deming, Zhou Haibing's father-in-law."

Zhou Hailong suddenly stood up from his chair.

His movements were too forceful, aggravating his wounds and causing him to wince in pain.

But his eyes were wide open like saucers, and his voice was loud and urgent, as if someone had grabbed his throat and then suddenly released him; every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, indistinct but with immense force.

"My dad? Zhou Haibing didn't even spare my dad? That's my dad! And his dad too! His own father! It wasn't enough that he transferred all our money; he even transferred my dad's money too? Is he even human?"

Sun Guiying, Sun Guixiang, and Sun Guiwu stood up almost simultaneously, their faces bearing the same expression—shock and anger.

Sun Guiying's men's slipper fell off again. She didn't pick it up, and her bare feet stomped on the floor tiles with a sound so sharp it could shatter glass.

"My dad's almost eighty! He transferred all the money from an old man who's almost eighty? Is he even human? He wouldn't even spare an elderly person?"

Captain Fang stood at the door, holding a folder in his hand, waiting for their voices to gradually fade away.

He didn't urge or interrupt; he just stood there, like a patient listener.

Then his voice rang out, neither too loud nor too soft, each word clear and distinct: "Where do Sun Deming and Zhou Fuxiang live?"

Sun Guiying took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably, each word sounding like it was being coaxed out of her throat:

"Wolong Town, Chenjia Village. They don't live in the provincial capital, they live in their hometown."

Both of them lived in Chenjia Village, Wolong Town. My father lived at the east end of the village, and my father-in-law—Zhou Haibing's father—lived in the middle of the village.

Both houses were built with money from Zhou Haibing.

Captain Fang wrote the words "Chenjia Village" and "Wolong Town" in his notebook, his handwriting neat and clear.

He closed the notebook, turned around, and walked out of the conference room.

In the corridor, his footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, and his leather shoes made a steady sound on the floor tiles.

He didn't go back to the interrogation room, but went straight to the call center. He pushed open the door and found the dispatchers busy inside, with phones ringing incessantly.

Captain Fang walked to Officer Lin's desk, picked up the landline, and dialed a number.

He pressed the receiver to his ear, his gaze falling on the provincial capital map on the wall, his fingers unconsciously tapping twice on the table.

The call was connected.

Captain Fang's voice was calm and clear:

"Hello, is this Wolong Town Police Station? I am Fang Jianguo from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Chengbei Branch."

There's something I need you to verify. In Chenjia Village within your jurisdiction, there are two households, headed by Sun Deming and Zhou Fuxiang. Have you received any reports from them in the past two days?

The person who answered the phone was the director of Wolong Town Police Station. After checking on the computer, the director replied:

"No!"

Captain Fang guessed that Zhou Fuxiang and Sun Deming were probably unaware that the money in their cards had been transferred out—they might not even have realized that their house had been emptied.

Or they discovered it but didn't know how to report it to the police.

In either case, we can't wait any longer.

He immediately said to the director:

"Have someone go to Sun Deming and Zhou Fuxiang's houses to check on them. Once they arrive, confirm the situation at their homes, whether they've been burglarized, and whether anyone is alright. Contact me immediately if anything happens."

"Okay, I'll arrange the formation right away."

The Wolong Town Police Station is not far from Chenjia Village; it only takes about ten minutes to drive there.

After receiving the order, the police chief dispatched two officers to the scene.

One of them was named Li Guoqiang, in his early thirties, with dark tanned skin and a loud voice;

The other one was named Wang Lei, in his twenties, wearing glasses and looking more scholarly. He had just graduated from police academy not long ago.

The two men drove a police car along the county road toward Chenjia Village.

The rice in the fields on both sides of the road has been harvested, leaving only neat rows of stubble. Occasionally, a few plots are planted with late-season corn, the leaves rustling in the morning breeze.

As the car turned onto the cement road at the village entrance, Li Guoqiang slowed down, rolled down the window, and saw an old farmer carrying a hoe walking by the roadside. He leaned out and asked:

"Hey fellow villager, where does Zhou Fuxiang live?"

The old farmer stopped, planted his hoe on the ground, squinted at the police car, then at the two police officers, and tilted his chin forward:

"Go straight ahead, turn right at the third row of houses, the one with the big locust tree in front is it."

Old Zhou's house is easy to spot; it's the most impressive villa in the village.

Li Guoqiang thanked him and drove over.

Sure enough, after turning right at the third intersection, you'll see a three-story villa.