In the dimly lit underground room, Zhao Yao slowly stepped out from behind a wall. His face was pale, his tears flowed uncontrollably, but he didn’t dare to cry aloud. He feared that the executioners might return at any moment.

“Mom, Sister, Dad!”

Thirty-eight-year-old Zhao Yao, now a grown man, wept like a child on his bed. Memories of his family’s tragic demise haunted him once again.

Thirty years ago, he had just turned eight. His sweet and obedient younger sister had been diagnosed with leukemia. The exorbitant medical costs left the entire family in despair. One day, his father had called him aside, looking serious.

“I’m going to do something big,” his father had said. “If I succeed, your sister will be saved. If I fail, this family will depend on you.”

At the time, Zhao Yao didn’t understand. A week later, his mother hurriedly moved him and his sister to a damp basement. She said their father had committed a crime, and staying connected with him would put their lives in danger.

For a month, they lived in fear but remained unnoticed. Just when his mother began to think their worries were unfounded, disaster struck.

When someone broke into their home, his mother hid Zhao Yao and his sister in a secret space and told them to stay silent no matter what happened. She then went out to confront the intruders alone.

However, those people were merciless. His sister, too young to control her fear, began to cry loudly. The intruders found them. What happened next became Zhao Yao’s lifelong nightmare.

To survive, Zhao Yao escaped the basement and ran as fast as he could. His father’s last words, spoken over a phone call, echoed in his mind:

“No, you can’t kill me! I already told you where the stolen money is hidden. It’s with Mu Yecheng!”

“Mu Yecheng, Mu Yecheng…”

Zhao Yao muttered the name repeatedly. That man had killed his father, stolen the money, and caused the suffering and death of his mother and sister. From that day forward, hatred became the sole reason he lived.

By the age of eighteen, he had learned through various channels about the powerful Mu family. To gain the skills he needed, he smuggled himself abroad and became a mercenary.

A month ago, Zhao Yao finally returned to exact his revenge on Mu Yecheng, only to find that the man had already passed away. Furious at arriving too late, Zhao Yao learned of Mu Wan, the granddaughter of the Mu family, through the internet. To avenge his sister, he decided to inflict the same pain on Mu Wan.

—

In Mu Jianhua’s villa in S City, a team was piecing together information to connect the dots between a robbery and a heinous child dismemberment case from thirty years prior.

“Zhao Binhai robbed a bank and died in a subsequent internal conflict, leaving the stolen money unaccounted for,” Mu Jianhua analyzed.
“Local gangs got wind of the situation and suspected his wife and daughter might know the money’s whereabouts. They captured and tortured them, leading to their deaths. Zhao Yao survived and somehow misdirected his hatred toward our family. Now, he’s targeting Mu Wan to exact revenge.”

Hearing this, everyone in the room frowned deeply. After a long silence, Wang Lan asked, “How could no one have uncovered the connection between these cases back then?”

Mu Jianhua massaged his temples. “When a robber dies and the stolen money isn’t found, every relationship is supposed to be investigated thoroughly. If this connection went unnoticed, it’s either a major oversight by the police or a deliberate cover-up.”

He decided to contact those involved in the investigation of the 3.18 case and was shocked to find the name Kuang Hongxuan among them. Though this sparked a vague suspicion in his mind, it eluded his grasp before he could fully understand it.

Glancing at the clock, now pointing to 2 a.m., Mu Jianhua addressed the exhausted group on the couch, “I’ll wait here for the kidnapper’s next call. You should all get some rest.”

Though anxious about the hostage’s life, everyone agreed to rest in preparation for the challenges of the next day.

—

At dawn, the ringing of the phone broke the stillness. Mu Jianhua, already awake, immediately alerted the technical team for a location trace before picking up the receiver.

“This is Mu Jianhua,” he announced firmly.

A distorted voice on the other end spoke coldly, “Let Mu Wan come alone to Shui Jiang Road. If anyone follows her, I’ll kill the female officer. Once she’s in my hands, I’ll release her.”

“Impossible,” Mu Jianhua replied.

Zhao Yao sneered at the expected response. “I knew it. People like you would never value a police officer’s life.”

He prepared to hang up, but Mu Jianhua’s voice stopped him.

“Zhao Yao, my father did not embezzle the stolen three billion yuan. What happened to your mother and sister was a tragedy, and I regret that the police couldn’t protect your family in time. But you can’t vent your anger on innocent people.”

Zhao Yao paused briefly before letting out a mocking laugh. “Innocent? Do you think I’m just aimlessly venting? My father was talking to me when your father killed him. I heard him call Mu Yecheng’s name with my own ears!”

Meanwhile, a silent message from the technical team arrived: “Commander, just a few more seconds. We’ll have the exact location soon.”