Kangyang District Public Security Bureau investigator? Uncle’s workplace—do you need to come here to see me? Zhang Yuanqing instinctively felt a surge of tension, just about to walk toward the bedroom door to eavesdrop. Suddenly remembering something, he opened his smartphone and deleted the chat and call records sent to Bing Brother. Then he folded the letter written by Bing Brother and placed it beneath the potted plant on the windowsill. Only then did he feel at ease, opening a narrow crack to observe quietly. At the entrance, Grandmother’s voice came through—asked questions rather than answering: “Why are you looking for him?” She hadn’t invited the investigator inside but blocked them at the doorway. “We need to ask him some questions,” said the young woman, whose voice was sensuous. “Here are our credentials.” Grandmother glanced briefly at the documents before frowning and stepping aside. Zhang Yuanqing opened the door in time, carefully observing the investigators entering the living room. The lead investigator wore a black suit with a white shirt and navy vest, holding a dark wood walking stick, his face slender, with two small mustaches and an impeccably groomed backcombed hairstyle. This strong English-influenced style—combined with those two small mustaches—made one naturally think of the overseas-educated gentlemen from the 1920s and 1930s. To the left stood a young female investigator, her features elegant and sharply defined, appearing possibly of mixed heritage, smiling softly with bright, lively eyes. She was about 175 cm tall, possessing legs as striking as those of a model, wearing a suit with her shirt sleeves tucked into her pants, accentuating her slender waist and full bust—both professional and refined. The last investigator stood with a reserved expression, wearing black-framed glasses, hair slightly disheveled, radiating an academic, analytical air. “May I introduce myself?” Zhang Yuanqing said, while simultaneously observing the three of them. “We are from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau,” the mixed-race female investigator said with a smile, “we have some questions we’d like to ask you—please cooperate.” “Certainly…” Zhang Yuanqing guided them into the living room sofa. Grandmother served each of the three investigators a cup of water and then looked at her grandson with growing confusion. She couldn’t comprehend how her lively, well-socialized son—raised under her care—would now require a police visit from the public security office. The disheveled young investigator pulled out a small notebook and pen, opened the cap. The man with the polished backcombed hair sat on the sofa, holding his stick in both hands, speaking seriously: “Do you know Lei Yibing?” Indeed, it was about Bing Brother—so quickly… Zhang Yuanqing replied truthfully: “We’ve been friends since childhood—why would they suddenly ask about him now?” A thought came to him. Uncle is the head of the second organization at the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. Since these three investigators had come to visit, they must have reviewed his family background. After all, knowing that a colleague’s relative was being visited should be sufficient for them to coordinate a simple informal meeting—how could such a basic matter of interpersonal courtesy be overlooked? Yet there had been no word from Uncle—he clearly didn’t know. Otherwise, even if he hadn’t come personally, he would have at least called him to inform him. “Oh, close friend!” The man gently tapped his shiny leather shoes, speaking calmly: “Here’s the situation—Lei Yibing has gone missing. The Kangyang District Public Security Office in Jiangsu Province Hangcheng contacted us and reported that Lei Yibing had sent a package to you just before he disappeared.” His gaze deep and reflective, fixed on Zhang Yuanqing as if seeing through his soul. “Is there such an event?” Zhang Yuanqing looked visibly stunned: “Missing? How is that possible…” The academic investigator interjected gently: “Just say yes or no.” “Yes—just a moment ago—I received a package, but the sender’s name wasn’t written on it. I was wondering who had sent it to me,” Zhang Yuanqing nodded seriously. This denial would be useless—the police could verify the delivery through courier records and even check the building’s surveillance footage. The man with the backcombed hair nodded in response and asked: “What was inside the package? Please answer truthfully—this is very important for us.” At that moment, Grandmother breathed a sigh of relief while simultaneously growing concerned about Lei Yibing. After all, she had raised him since childhood—even after moving to another neighborhood. Zhang Yuanqing answered: “The package was empty—it contained nothing at all.” “Empty?” The man with the backcombed hair narrowed his eyes, his penetrating gaze examining Zhang Yuanqing carefully. Though I have lied—my Black Card has vanished—and an empty package is nearly indistinguishable from a lie—I didn’t flinch, meeting his gaze earnestly: “When I opened it, there was only an anti-fall mat inside. By the way, that package is still in my room—if you’d like to check, please do.” If Bing Brother’s disappearance were as he suspected—then he would naturally want to keep this information hidden until Uncle returned home, and then explain everything thoroughly. Such a matter requiring risk management was surely best handled with family consultation. The man with the backcombed hair signaled subtly to his female assistant. She smiled gently and entered the room, returning shortly after to rejoin them in the living room, giving a slight nod to her colleague. After a brief pause, he said: “If it’s convenient, we’d like to inspect your bedroom and your computer. Additionally, could you please show us your smartphone?” Inspecting the computer was acceptable—but please don’t open the browser history or the learning materials stored on the hard drive… Zhang Yuanqing calmly unlocked his phone screen and handed it over. The man with the backcombed hair took the phone while the female investigator re-entered the room. He held the smartphone in one hand, gently swiping a few times before returning it to Zhang Yuanqing, then patiently waited. Half an hour later, the young woman stepped out with her long legs—now shaking her head slightly. The man nodded gently and said warmly: “Thank you for your cooperation—we’ll be leaving now.” Zhang Yuanqing immediately asked: “Could I ask about Lei Yibing’s situation?” It was both sincere and necessary—to “justify” his silence, hearing of a close friend missing without asking further questions seemed suspicious. The man responded patiently: “Lei Yibing disappeared from his dormitory—there are no surveillance footage showing him leaving the hallway. According to one roommate, that night he went to the bathroom and saw Lei Yibing still asleep in bed. By morning, however, he had vanished completely. Twenty-four hours later, when no one could reach him, the counselor notified the school administration, who immediately reported it. For more details, you would need to call the local public security office directly.” This matches exactly what Uncle Lei described—so the local public security office hasn’t made any progress yet. Perhaps this person simply doesn’t want to inform me… Zhang Yuanqing nodded: “I understand.” The man with the backcombed hair led his two colleagues toward the anti-theft door, stopping halfway and turning around to say: “If you find anything—any clue at all—please notify us immediately. Do not withhold any information from us.” As Zhang Yuanqing prepared to nod in response, he heard the man smile with a deep, meaningful tone: “Otherwise, the next one who goes missing might just be you.” The next one to go missing? What did he mean—was this a threat? Was he implying that if I didn’t hand over my Black Card, I would disappear like Bing Brother? After all, what had happened to that card—how had it simply vanished without trace? And now, even when trying to return it, I couldn’t seem to do so. “Thank you for the reminder!” He returned a smile lacking warmth. No matter how things unfold—he would wait until Uncle returns before making any decisions. Bing Brother certainly wouldn’t have sent anything to him if he expected the card to fall into the hands of the public security office. And as a close friend and childhood companion, Zhang Yuanqing trusted that Bing Brother wouldn’t let him down. At his side, Grandmother frowned coldly: “Then we won’t be sending it.” What was wrong with this person—why was she now cursing her grandson? The man with the backcombed hair smiled and pulled out a business card from his left inside pocket, handing it to Zhang Yuanqing. “Please contact me whenever you need anything.” After Zhang Yuanqing took the card, he led his two colleagues away. “Why has Bing Brother gone missing?” Grandmother sighed worriedly after they had all departed. They used to be neighbors—meeting each other often over the years—and still maintained a sense of closeness. Zhang Yuanqing said with weary expression: “Grandmother, I didn’t sleep well last night—I’ll go back to my room and rest now. If I don’t wake up by noon, you don’t need to call me. If Grandfather returns, please let him know and ask him to contact Uncle Lei.” She had stayed with Xiao Yi until past midnight—her old illness flared up that morning, waking her from sleep. Already tired due to lack of rest, she had spent the entire night searching for Bing Brother and pushing her mental capacity beyond its limits. Now, her mind felt dizzy and foggy. After Grandmother nodded in agreement, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room. He closed the door, stepped off his shoes with the soles of his feet touching each other, then collapsed onto the bed—drowsy and deeply asleep. … Inside the black business vehicle, Li Dongze sat on a leather sofa, his golden-handled walking stick leaning against the side, his palm supporting a tall glass of ruby-red wine that swirled gently. “Guan Ya,” he turned to the mixed-race woman seated beside him, “what did you find inside the room?” Guan Ya leaned lazily against the sofa, her long legs neatly pressed together, her face serious: “There’s a significant discovery.” “Please go on,” Li Dongze said seriously. The academic male colleague also shifted his gaze from his smartphone to watch attentively. Guan Ya spoke in a formal tone: “The young man is a strong admirer of mature female professionals—he has filled his study files with profiles of experienced women, yet his trash can remains remarkably clean—this seems utterly illogical.” “He maintains an extensive social circle, participating in various groups—but only actively engages in gaming and LSP groups; all other groups have message blocks set. His room contains no entertainment equipment beyond a video game console—indicating he is actually quite reserved in personality. By the way, Chief, do you know what LSP stands for?” The mixed-race woman smiled and made a playful “rubbing” motion with her hands. Her two colleagues looked momentarily stunned. Li Dongze quickly raised his hand to interrupt, exasperated: “Oh my goodness—how I wish I could kick you right in the backside! I’m talking about business matters—you keep making such irrelevant comments. I’ve mentioned this many times—to avoid being a ‘rural-style’ person, to refrain from telling long-winded stories or turning things into something overly romantic. Your habits are simply not appropriate and rather unrefined.” The tall woman didn’t flinch under the angry tone of her superior—she smiled gently: “Don’t be so stiff—some light humor goes a long way in creating a lively atmosphere.” She then gently folded her smile, adding: “I didn’t find any suspicious items on his computer. But I discovered a letter that Lei Yibing had sent him—placed beneath the potted plant on the windowsill. Lei Yibing indeed sent something to him—most likely a Character Card—but I don’t know what profession he holds.” Li Dongze paused for several seconds, closed his eyes: “Come back tomorrow—by then, if he hasn’t gone missing yet.”