Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was May. Ning Xiechen still hadn’t woken up. “Floating Light” continued to erode the youth, the elite class, and the intellectuals. Using “Snow Child,” the dark web’s vast resources, and the doctrine that “money can buy everything,” they brainwashed these target groups, turning them into believers of “Floating Light.”

Police forces across the country had mobilized; wherever there was crime, police power swarmed. However, just as Ling Lie had predicted, while the police could solve individual cases and arrest batches of perpetrators, they couldn’t shake the fundamental roots of “Floating Light.”

Public awareness campaigns, lectures, case exhibitions… these basic methods yielded little result. The ordinary people at the bottom would listen, but university students like Wen Zhengchao’s daughter—educated and self-important—as well as the upper-middle class in various industries, seemed to have an instinctive resistance to police admonitions. The more they were told to beware of “Floating Light,” the more they wanted to get close to it.

For the past six months, Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao had barely stayed in one place for more than two weeks. Ji Chenjiao had been seconded to the Special Action Team. This was Xie Qing’s idea—partly to let him pad his resume with experience so that when the “Floating Light” crisis was resolved, he would return to the Xiarong City police force with an impressive track record; and partly because Ling Lie was also based in the capital, and separating the newly minted couple would be too cruel.

The Special Action Team sprinted across the country, handling various cases sparked by “Floating Light.” Ling Lie was with Ji Chenjiao most of the time, though they occasionally split up. Last week, Ji Chenjiao was sent to the southeast coast, while Ling Lie remained behind to interrogate a recent detainee. Two days later, Ling Lie also received a mission and only returned from the field today.

Upon arriving home, he smelled a mouth-watering aroma. Poking his head into the kitchen, he saw—surprise, surprise—the usually waited-upon Xiao Ji wearing an apron, making braised pork.

Without even washing his hands, Ling Lie ran over and hugged Ji Chenjiao’s waist. It was early summer and they were wearing thin clothes; body heat transferred through the fabric. Ji Chenjiao put down the spatula and kissed Ling Lie.

“Since when do you know how to make braised pork?” Ling Lie inspected the kitchen. Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves… the spices were quite complete.

“Can’t I learn if I don’t know how?” Ji Chenjiao said. “You came back today; I couldn’t very well let you cook.”

Ling Lie stared at Ji Chenjiao suspiciously. “But in the past, when I came back, didn’t I do the cooking?”

Ji Chenjiao paused. “That was me being inconsiderate in the past.”

Ling Lie, sharp as ever, immediately sensed that something was off with Ji Chenjiao today. It felt like he was hiding something.

Ling Lie went to take a shower. While unpacking his luggage, he found a packet of gauze and a bottle of iodine with a production date from a month ago. He picked it up and examined it; it looked like it had been used recently.

Ji Chenjiao’s culinary skills were limited; the braised pork was lacking a little something. Ling Lie tasted a piece, then chased Ji Chenjiao back to the living room and seized command of the kitchen. As Ji Chenjiao walked out, Ling Lie specifically observed his posture.

The braised pork, after Ling Lie’s expert adjustments, tasted much better. At the dining table, the two ate while exchanging stories about the cases they handled on their trips. Ling Lie spoke more, while Ji Chenjiao spoke less. Whenever Ling Lie asked for details, Ji Chenjiao would interrupt and ask how Ling Lie had handled things on his end.

Ling Lie knew exactly what was going on.

As they were finishing the meal, Ling Lie said, “I bought that when I came back. Let’s use it tonight.”

Ji Chenjiao nearly choked. “You just got back from a trip. Give it a couple of days.”

“No. I want to use it today.”

“…”

“Xiao Ji?”

“Huh?”

“Can you not get it up?”

“…”

That night, Ji Chenjiao wanted to turn off the lights, but Ling Lie covered the switch by the bedside. The light cast a glow over his face, giving his expression a slightly distorted, ambiguous look.

“Xiao Ji, still wearing long pants?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Turn off the light first.”

Ling Lie pinched his chin. “Is it my body that’s unpresentable, or yours?”

Having said that, Ling Lie made his move. Ji Chenjiao knew he couldn’t hide it anymore and only offered symbolic resistance.

A hideous scar was revealed on Ji Chenjiao’s leg. The stitches hadn’t even been removed yet, and there were scabs of blood around the needle points.

Ling Lie frowned. “What happened?”

Ji Chenjiao had no choice but to explain. The trip was to a small place with very limited police manpower. During the arrest, several inexperienced young officers were sent in. To protect a young team member, he failed to dodge a knife slash from a criminal.

But he quickly added, “As you can see, it’s not a critical injury. It didn’t hit bone or tendon. It’ll be fine once the stitches are out in a few days.”

Ling Lie stared at Ji Chenjiao’s leg and didn’t speak for a long time.

Ji Chenjiao thought, Crap, I can’t coax him out of this one.

He really had no experience in hiding injuries. In the past, it was always Ling Lie making him worry, getting hurt here and there. He prided himself on cherishing his own body more than Ling Lie did. When he got hurt this time, his first reaction was how to trick Ling Lie. Make the braised pork Ling Lie likes? Ling Lie will be so happy he’ll forget everything. And if I get caught, well, Ling Lie ate my food, so he has to be soft on me.

But face-to-face, he realized it didn’t work like that. Braised pork solved nothing; Ling Lie was angry just the same. He had probably given himself away the moment Ling Lie kicked him out of the kitchen.

He cupped Ling Lie’s face, and they looked into each other’s eyes. Ling Lie sniffled. “Does it hurt?”

Frankly, Ji Chenjiao hadn’t felt much pain. His mind was highly tense during the mission, making it hard to notice pain, and it only hurt for a while when the wound was being dressed. But now, being looked at by Ling Lie like this, the wound suddenly started to ache, as if a tiny heart were beating right there, making the pain exceptionally active.

“It hurts.”

Ling Lie curled up in Ji Chenjiao’s arms, his fingers gently pressing on the skin around the wound. After a long while, he said, “We can’t go on like this.”

“Hmm?”

“Running after ‘Floating Light’ all the time. I’m tired of it.”

Shen Xun, Xie Qing, Fu Zhong… police across the country were agonizing over the same problem. Since the end of last year, in every city where “Floating Light” appeared, a significant portion of police resources had to be diverted to deal with the crimes it caused. The Special Action Team, in particular, was rushing everywhere. At first, everyone was high-spirited, especially after catching criminals.

But as time passed, the exhaustion of the police grew, because in the foreseeable future, the evil had no end. If this continued, everyone would be run ragged, while “Floating Light” would only become grander.

Since the beginning of the year, countless joint meetings had been held, the atmosphere becoming increasingly heavy. This time, since Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao were in the capital, they attended as well.

Shen Qi said, “Captain Fu and I have discussed this. We feel it is time to change our strategy regarding ‘Floating Light.’ Does anyone have any ideas?”

Those present were almost all influential figures in local police forces, and a heated discussion quickly ensued. Some complained about the rapidly rising local crime rates due to “Floating Light,” while others spoke of how many officers had already been sacrificed. Ji Chenjiao listened for a while, his brow furrowing tightly—everyone’s emotions were bordering on losing control because, right now, other than chasing after “Floating Light,” there really was no better way.

A Deputy Chief asked, “Didn’t they say ‘Black Peacock’ would enter the country? Has this person been located? When will he enter?”

“Black Peacock’s” entry was key. Once his entry was confirmed, the police could launch an immediate operation. If they successfully captured “Black Peacock,” “Floating Light’s” withdrawal from the country would be practically set in stone.

Ling Lie cleared his throat. “He likely won’t be entering the country anytime soon.”

At these words, the conference room fell silent. Shen Xun also gave Ling Lie a deep look.

During the meeting before the Spring Festival, Ling Lie had sworn that “Black Peacock” would definitely enter. Half a year later, even Ling Lie had to face reality. “Black Peacock” would indeed enter, but only after “Floating Light” had planted seeds of evil in as many people as possible, only after the police were defeated, and only when “Black Peacock” could walk upright and openly on this land.

How long would that take?

“Black Peacock” could afford to wait, but the police could not.

And the police could absolutely not allow such a thing to happen!

Sighs echoed around the room. Another Criminal Investigation Detachment Captain said, “Captain Shen, Captain Fu, let me be honest with you. My team can hold out until the end of this year at most. If this goes on, even men made of iron will collapse!”

Ling Lie was playing with a pen. He wasn’t good at spinning it; the pen kept falling onto the table, making clapping sounds. Ji Chenjiao watched him play, and when the pen fell again, he took it and spun it with impressive flair.

Ling Lie chuckled.

The meeting continued. Shen Xun proposed an active strike. The pen dropped again; everyone looked at Shen Xun.

“But… ‘Black Peacock’ is in E Country. The situation in E Country is complex; their police have secret cooperative relationships with ‘Floating Light.’ E Country won’t give us the green light.”

“Correct. Direct action isn’t viable either. We couldn’t bring ‘Black Peacock’ back; at most, we could stage an accident and kill him.”

“What about luring ‘Black Peacock’ into the country? As long as he enters voluntarily, everything becomes easy!”

Ling Lie spoke up, “We don’t necessarily have to deal with ‘Black Peacock’ in E Country. According to past intelligence and Bai Lingxue’s testimony, ‘Black Peacock’ has a record of traveling to other countries. We can cooperate with the police in those nations.”

Shen Xun nodded slightly.

Ling Lie added, “Although ‘Floating Light’ has financial ties with many countries, as long as it’s not their home base like E Country, there is a chance to capture ‘Black Peacock.’ The key is finding the right partners.”

After the meeting adjourned, Shen Xun held Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao back alone. Fu Zhong was there too.

Shen Xun got straight to the point. “I feel that Bai Lingxue hasn’t confessed everything yet. The information he’s withholding likely contains parts very important to us.”

Bai Lingxue was currently detained by the Special Action Team. Shen Xun would chat with him occasionally. He seemed to have accepted his failure, his emotions becoming calmer day by day. When Shen Xun tried to provoke him, he would only smile calmly, as if pinning his hopes on “Black Peacock,” trusting that “Black Peacock” would never let him down.

Fu Zhong shook his head. “If only Captain Ning could wake up.”

Ling Lie asked, “So what do you plan to do? Keeping Xiao Ji and me here… it isn’t just to vent, is it?”

Shen Xun smiled. “I am contacting international police forces we might be able to cooperate with. When the time is right, I will send a team to E Country, or elsewhere. ‘Black Peacock’ has deep ties to both of you, so I wanted to ask for your opinion first. When we need manpower, are you willing to go?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Of course, it should be me.”

Thinking of the name Yan Xi, he felt nothing but gnashing hatred.

Ling Lie shrugged, looking somewhat casual. “Our Xiao Ji has already stated his position. I have nothing else to say.”

---

A Country, a resort destination. Sea breezes blew across the golden beach. Under a parasol, a man in gaudy clothes with blonde hair took off his sunglasses and waved at the person half-reclining on a lounge chair. “Dr. Zhuo, why are you reading even on vacation? Are the handsome men and beautiful women not enough for you to look at?”

Zhuo Suying closed his book and met the visitor’s gaze. “Do you need something, Jaco?”

The visitor was none other than Xu Jiajia. His cut hair had grown out, was permed into curls, and dyed blonde, giving him a foreign look again.

He sat grinning on the lounge chair next to Zhuo Suying, picked up a juice, and clinked glasses with him. “How has Dr. Zhuo been lately?”

Zhuo Suying said, “Fair enough. Honestly running my clinic, diligently treating patients.”

Xu Jiajia laughed loudly. “You sure know how to pretend nothing happened.”

Zhuo Suying said calmly, “For me, nothing happened to begin with.”

Both fell silent for a moment. The sound of the tide came from not far away, and vacationers ran back and forth on the beach. It was lively here; everyone was carefree, enjoying the happiness granted by the sun and the sea.

“‘Na Sheng’ is dead,” Xu Jiajia sneered. “Died quite cleanly. ‘Grey Peacock’ is in the slammer; with good luck, he won’t get out in this lifetime. Bad luck? He goes straight to see the King of Hell.”

Zhuo Suying didn’t speak, picking up his book again.

“I say, are you really planning to wash your hands in a golden basin and retire?” Xu Jiajia asked with some dissatisfaction.

Zhuo Suying said, “Jaco, I think I should correct you on one point. I was never a core member of ‘Floating Light.’ I am different from ‘Na Sheng.’ Look, I don’t even have a code name.”

Xu Jiajia stared into his eyes for a moment. “Right, you only have a cooperative relationship with ‘Floating Light.’ ‘Grey Peacock’ asked you to help deal with the Yu family. After your task was done, he sent you back to A Country ahead of time.”

Zhuo Suying said, “Exactly. Now I have a legitimate job and a respectable life. I have no other entanglements with ‘Floating Light.’ Why would I wade into that muddy water again?”

Xu Jiajia’s eyes grew dark. “‘Floating Light’ is not dead yet.”

“What does that have to do with me? I never want to go to that country again. You should know very well that those police are terrifying. They are different from the ones here, or in E Country. They truly intend to eliminate ‘Floating Light.'”

Xu Jiajia paused, then suddenly laughed. “So Dr. Zhuo is afraid.”

Zhuo Suying was not offended, answering frankly, “Yes, I am afraid. Is that hard to understand? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison like ‘Grey Peacock.'”

Xu Jiajia said, “So you are determined to draw a clear line with ‘Floating Light’?”

Zhuo Suying said, “If there is a need for me in other countries, and the pay is right, it’s not impossible for me to serve ‘Floating Light’ again.”

Xu Jiajia laughed. “Dr. Zhuo, you calculate sharply. You take all the benefits.”

“People must look out for themselves. And you? Who are you lobbying for?”

“‘Black Peacock.'” A trace of madness flashed in Xu Jiajia’s eyes. “I work for ‘Black Peacock’ now.”

Zhuo Suying clinked glasses with him again. “Then I wish you smooth sailing.”

Xu Jiajia sneered, “Dr. Zhuo, we will have opportunities to cooperate.”

After Xu Jiajia left, the smile in Zhuo Suying’s eyes gradually faded. He took off his glasses and wiped them, muttering to himself, “That depends on how long ‘Floating Light’ can survive.”

---

One month later, a murder case utilizing the “Floating Light” dark web occurred in Xiarong City. Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao returned home for a trip.

Coincidentally, during this month, the Yu Group was broken up into numerous small enterprises. Assets involved in criminal activities were liquidated, and several executives went to prison.

Yu Yesheng had been like a changed man over the past six months. He had turned over a new leaf and, relying on his connections in high society, provided clues to the police several times about “Floating Light’s” encroachment on the second-generation rich.

The grievances and entanglements between Ji Chenjiao, Ling Lie, and the Yu family had completely come to an end. Yu family had left a portion of the inheritance to Ji Chenjiao as per Yu Qianming’s instructions, but Ji Chenjiao refused it from beginning to end.

However, money could be refused, but people who stuck to you could not be shaken off. Yu Yesheng shaved his head and swore to contribute to the safety of Xiarong City. He hadn’t participated in the crimes himself, and his inheritance was clean. He wanted to use the money to cooperate with the police technical department. Ji Chenjiao couldn’t dissuade him and could only let him appear before himself and Ling Lie from time to time.

“This cousin of yours…” Ji Chenjiao felt helpless every time he saw Yu Yesheng. After all, the guy was a member of the public, an enthusiastic citizen; he couldn’t use force, so he could only complain to Ling Lie.

Ling Lie immediately deflected. “What cousin? He’s your cousin!”

“…”

The two had to make a three-point covenant with Yu Yesheng: Do not interfere with police handling cases, do not casually bring up family ties, and the last point was to be added later.

Yu Yesheng agreed, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie clearly said—Look, that’s my little brother!

After finishing matters in Xiarong City, the two returned to the capital. Another month or so passed, and the police forces everywhere showed even more obvious signs of fatigue in the face of “Floating Light.” Just then, Shen Xun received a crucial piece of intelligence—”Floating Light” had been frequently active in L Country this year, and “Black Peacock” might travel to L Country next month.

“Black Peacock” had left E Country in the past, but the Special Action Team only ever received the news after he had returned to E Country. This was the first time they had grasped intelligence before his trip.

“Is the information reliable?” Ling Lie was cautious with his words, but the gleam in his eyes already betrayed his excitement.

“Relatively reliable,” Shen Xun said, his phrasing also low-key. “The clues gathered by the Information Warfare Group and our intelligence operatives abroad all point to this possibility.”

“L Country, L Country!” Ling Lie trembled with excitement. L Country was indeed a place where “Floating Light” had deep roots. Moreover, the situation in L Country was very favorable for the Special Action Team. It was a turbulent region; cooperating with local police to intercept “Black Peacock” and bring him back alive for trial would be much easier there than in a stable country.

Shen Xun continued, “In fact, to acquire this intelligence, we leveraged the power of ‘Jasmine Tea.'”

Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao were both stunned.

Currently, the former head of “Jasmine Tea,” Duan Wande, was imprisoned domestically. The one who had taken over “Jasmine Tea” in L Country was the young man Ling Lie had met—Su Yi.

Since Duan Wande fell into police hands last year, “Jasmine Tea” had begun to fracture. Su Yi and Shu Tong—who advocated killing Ling Lie and Zhao Fan—were both originally Duan Wande’s right-hand men. Resenting that Duan Wande favored Su Yi, Shu Tong broke away.

Su Yi grew closer to the L Country police, gradually “whitewashing” himself and beginning to represent official interests. Meanwhile, Shu Tong took part of “Jasmine Tea’s” forces and collaborated with another gang in the north of L Country, “Wang Ting.”

“Wang Ting” was “Floating Light’s” most important partner in L Country.

Ling Lie remembered Shu Tong: strong, brutish, with a reckless drive, but simple-minded and easily suppressed by Su Yi.

A chaotic place like L Country was fertile ground for the dark web to develop. Duan Wande and Su Yi had been relatively cautious about the dark web, but Shu Tong was different. As a competitor to “Jasmine Tea,” “Wang Ting” hoped to use the power of the dark web to destroy “Jasmine Tea.”

Ji Chenjiao calmly sorted through the connections. “So ‘Jasmine Tea’ is acting from the standpoint of its own interests and the L Country police, hoping we can curb ‘Floating Light’?”

Shen Xun said, “Yes. Our direct partner is the L Country police. Their person in charge, Superintendent Asak, is very willing to strike at ‘Wang Ting,’ and ‘Jasmine Tea’ will provide assistance to the L Country police in secret.”

Ji Chenjiao asked, “What identity will we use to go to L Country?”

Shen Xun said, “To avoid attracting ‘Floating Light’s’ attention, the most suitable identity is foreign migrant workers.”

A map unfolded on the screen. In the center was the familiar L Country. The Salingauke region in the south was clearly visible, along with the ports and major cities of the countries south of L Country.

“Our people will arrive at these two ports first, then rendezvous with the local labor union and enter L Country with them,” Shen Xun said. “We still have relatively ample time now. The personnel will go over first to familiarize themselves with the local situation. Remember, even if the operation hasn’t started, you cannot expose yourselves.”

Ling Lie leaned back in his chair. “In other words, ‘Black Peacock’ might have released false intelligence?”

Shen Xun was silent for half a minute. “He is also testing us.”

Ling Lie nodded. “If he really goes, I will definitely catch him.”

Shen Xun stood up, his expression solemn. “If he goes, this is our most critical opportunity. Once we let him run, he might turtle up in E Country forever.”

But after saying this, Shen Xun smiled slightly. “However, if we can give him a visceral shock this time, causing the power of ‘Floating Light’ to withdraw from here on out, that wouldn’t be bad either.”

Opportunity was fleeting. The Special Action Team quickly made preparations in secrecy. Ling Lie and Zhao Fan had been to L Country, so they naturally had to be included. Ji Chenjiao had a strong desire to go and was qualified, so he was also assigned to the operation.

Three days later, Zhao Fan led the first batch of team members to a country neighboring L Country. Two days after that, Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao also arrived. Meanwhile, team members disguised as them went to domestic locations involving “Floating Light” cases to investigate in their stead.

The flight took off from a port city in the neighboring country and landed in southern L Country over an hour later. Scorching wind and sand assailed them. Ji Chenjiao’s face was smeared with black grime, his clothes were tattered, and he narrowed his eyes in the air filled with the scent of gunpowder.

His memory before arriving at the Lily of the Valley Orphanage was a blank slate. But in this moment, it was as if he had picked up scattered fragments of memories concerning this land.