Chapter Summaries

Zhou Yi led officers to uncover Zeng Yuqiang’s hidden “Hao” room and seized a concealed laptop. As they prepared to leave the Happy Forest Hotel, Zeng Yuqiang and Zeng Xuehua arrived with armed support and confronted them.

• Zeng Yuqiang rushed to the Happy Forest Hotel with Zeng Xuehua and a group of thugs after hearing of the raid.
• Zhou Yi’s officers arrested gamblers and people involved in prostitution while Zhou Yi searched the hotel’s eighth floor for Zeng Yuqiang’s private suite.
• Zhou Yi ordered Liu Zhi to break through a concealed door in a restroom, revealing the “Hao” room and its evidence of abuse and trafficking.
• Zhou Yi found a laptop hidden behind a mirror and declared the mission accomplished.
• Zeng Yuqiang and Zeng Xuehua arrived with four vans, blocked the police vehicles, and confronted Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi’s planned hotel raid ended with Zeng Yuqiang and Zeng Xuehua arrested after Zeng Yuqiang tried to shoot him. At the county bureau, Zhou Yi reported that the laptop contained abuse videos implicating officials, and Chen Fengnan and Song Chengquan began to sweat as he spoke.

• Zeng Yuqiang and Zeng Xuehua approached Zhou Yi outside the Happy Forest Hotel, and Zeng Yuqiang drew a pistol.
• Zhou Yi shot Zeng Yuqiang in the wrist, while Cai Xiaobo, Shao Mingbao, and Zhu Jianping ordered the thugs to surrender.
• Liu Zhi arrested Zeng Yuqiang, Zhu Jianping arrested Zeng Xuehua, and Zhou Yi revealed that he had baited the brothers into his trap.
• Police reinforcements took the thugs away, and Zhou Yi escorted the Zeng brothers to the county bureau.
• Zhou Yi told Yan Xiangyu and the other officials that the laptop contained videos implicating Zeng Yuqiang, Zeng Xuehua, and leaders in the county bureau and government.
• Zhou Yi offered tissues to Song Chengquan and Chen Fengnan as they sweated during his report.

Zhou Yi’s actions helped bring down the Zeng Gang and expose corrupt officials, transforming Dongji County’s political landscape and earning him Yan Xiangyu’s trust. As Yan Xiangyu prepared the next phase of the anti-gang campaign, Zhou Yi recommended targeting Fu Yu before Xie Zhaolong, and Zhang Xinsheng guessed that the plan involved persuading Xie to stand aside.

• Zhou Yi exposed Deputy County Magistrate Chen Fengnan as a traitor who had secretly tipped off the Zeng Gang.
• The Zeng Gang’s leaders, Zeng Xuehua and Zeng Yuqiang, were arrested with their men, and investigators took Chen Fengnan, Song Chengquan, and several other officials into custody.
• Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Zhiyuan ordered a thorough investigation and a countywide crackdown on organized crime.
• Yan Xiangyu established a special anti-gang campaign group and appointed Zhou Yi to temporarily lead the Criminal Investigation Brigade.
• Zhou Yi recommended targeting Fu Yu before Xie Zhaolong, and Zhang Xinsheng suggested using influence over Xie to keep him out of the fight.

Zhou Yi proposed public reporting campaigns and hotlines for the crackdown, while the fall of the Zeng Gang made him a local hero and brought a flood of tips to the police. In Capital City, Jian Shuyue denied having romantic feelings for Zhou Yi as her mother urged her to consider other men.

• Zhou Yi explained how he learned Xie Zhaolong’s secret, then proposed publicity campaigns, reporting hotlines, tip boxes, and rewards to encourage reports of organized crime.
• Lei Ming said the bureau had received more than ten tips, including three about Fu Yu’s gang, and had formed a task force with Zhang Liping and Zhou Yi to investigate.
• News of the Zeng Gang’s downfall and the ensuing arrests of officials spread through Dongji County, and residents began heading to the Public Security Bureau to report grievances.
• Jian Shuyue checked her phone for a reply from Zhou Yi before her mother Mu Yalan questioned her about her romantic interest in him.
• Jian Shuyue insisted Zhou Yi was only her best buddy, while Mu Yalan urged her to settle down with a more suitable man.

Zhou Yi’s task force pursued evidence against Fu Yu, but Huang Sheng disappeared before he could be questioned. When Huang finally contacted Zhou and agreed to meet, Fu Yu threatened Huang’s family, and Zhou arrived to find Huang dead.

• Zhou Yi and the task force focused their investigation on Shen Hai and Huang Sheng as they gathered evidence against Fu Yu.
• Jian Shuyue exchanged late-night messages with Zhou Yi and privately wondered whether he had time to see Zhou Xiaofan.
• After Huang Sheng went missing, the County Public Security Bureau searched for him for three days without success.
• Huang Sheng called Zhou Yi, asked him to guarantee his family’s safety, and arranged to meet him at Daxing Construction.
• Fu Yu called Huang Sheng and threatened the little girl in a yellow dress, pressuring him to take the fall.
• Zhou Yi arrived at Daxing Construction with Shao Mingbao, Liu Zhi, and two officers, where Huang Sheng fell from the seventh floor clutching a family photograph.

After Huang Sheng jumped to his death and his wife and daughter disappeared, Zhou Yi confronted Fu Yu and vowed to bring him down. Shen Hai was murdered before the task force could arrest him, and the discovery of Huang Sheng’s family’s bodies left Zhou Yi ordering his officers to move out.

• Zhou Yi found Huang Sheng dead and confronted Fu Yu, suspecting him of abducting Huang Sheng’s wife and daughter.
• Fu Yu taunted Zhou Yi, who promised to put him behind bars within three days.
• Director Lei Ming redirected the task force to search for Huang Sheng’s family and investigate Shen Hai’s bribery and murder case.
• A killer posing as a water-meter inspector stabbed Shen Hai to death in his home.
• The next day, investigators found Huang Sheng’s wife and daughter dead in an abandoned warehouse.
• Zhou Yi ordered Cai Xiaobo, Shao Mingbao, Zhu Jianping, and the other officers to get ready to move out.

Fu Yu silenced witnesses and believed his political connections would shield him, while Zhou Yi faced a municipal inquiry over a video of him beating a suspect. As Fu Yu mocked Zhou Yi’s threat at his birthday party, Zhou Yi led police officers into the courtyard to arrest him.

• Fu Yu ordered the murders of Huang Sheng, his wife and daughter, and Shen Hai, frightening other witnesses into silence and stalling the task force’s investigation.
• Cui Mingzhi and Jiang Weihong arrived at the county bureau to investigate allegations that Zhou Yi had used excessive force.
• Lei Ming and Zhang Liping watched footage of Zhou Yi beating a suspect, then argued that Zhou Yi had acted amid an armed kidnapping and that the suspect later attacked him with a gun.
• Fu Yu hosted a birthday party, where he joked that Zhou Yi had threatened to put him behind bars within three days.
• Xie Zhaolong warned Fu Yu not to underestimate Zhou Yi, just as Zhou Yi led a large group of police officers into the courtyard.

Zhou Yi led police in a search of Fu Yu’s villa, where they uncovered a hidden fortune buried in the courtyard. Fu Yu was left exposed and defeated as Zhou Yi made good on his promise to arrest him.

• Zhou Yi presented Fu Yu with a search warrant, and Fu Yu signed it while threatening Zhou Yi’s career if the search found nothing.
• Zhou Yi and the officers began digging through the courtyard, and Fu Yu secretly called someone before returning to beg Zhou Yi to stop.
• Zhou Yi confronted Fu Yu over Huang Sheng and his family, accusing him of denying them mercy before they were raped and murdered.
• Zhou Yi struck the ground with a hoe, and investigators uncovered more than twenty buried jars containing cash and gold bars.
• Zhou Yi reminded the pale, defeated Fu Yu that he had promised to put him behind bars within three days.

Zhou Yi arrested Fu Yu despite his threats and his father Fu Pingjiang’s influence. Fu Pingjiang tried to arrange the case’s transfer and seek help from the mayor, while Zhou Yi returned Fu Yu to the bureau amid public attention.

• Zhou Yi warned Fu Yu that his crimes and the testimony of victims and witnesses could lead to his execution, then refused Fu Pingjiang’s call and ordered Fu Yu taken away.
• Shao Mingbao and Zhu Jianping seized Fu Yu when two criminal investigators hesitated, and the officers escorted him from the courtyard.
• Liu Zhi and Wang Hongwu continued separate patrols to protect Zhou Yi’s parents.
• Fu Pingjiang called prosecutor He Haidong and ordered him to demand that Fu Yu’s case be handed over to the County People’s Procuratorate, then arranged to seek a meeting with the mayor.
• Zhou Yi brought Fu Yu back to the County Public Security Bureau, where officers and county residents watched his arrest.
• Yang Liu encouraged Zheng Yifan as he considered telling Zhou Yi about his prospective role as County Magistrate Yan’s secretary.

Zhou Yi defended his actions in a street beating investigation and blocked the county procuratorate from taking Fu Yu and the stolen valuables. The chapter ended with the outsiders leaving the conference room while Lei Ming relished the victory.

• Zhou Yi explained that he had beaten Zeng Yuqiang to control a possible weapon and draw the hostage-takers’ attention, then offered the complete video as evidence.
• Jiang Weihong said the municipal bureau would protect Zhou Yi’s legitimate rights, while Cui Mingzhi struggled to challenge his account.
• He Haidong arrived with an order to transfer Fu Yu to the County Procuratorate, but Lei Ming refused, citing the police investigation into rape and contract killing.
• He Haidong asked Zhou Yi to hand over the stolen valuables, but Zhou Yi refused and identified a Gold-Inlaid Jade Buddha linking Fu Yu to a two-year-old homicide.
• Zhou Yi told He Haidong to leave before the task force discussed new developments, and Cui Mingzhi realized that he and his staff were outsiders who also had to go.
• He Haidong and Cui Mingzhi left the conference room, and Lei Ming felt triumphant.

Zhou Yi briefed Lei Ming and the task force on the evidence against Fu Yu while resisting pressure from He Haidong and Cui Zhiming. Fu Yu stayed silent after his interrogation, but Min Yashan and Wu Sen soon came forward with evidence that set the Fu Family’s downfall in motion.

• After Jiang Weihong left the conference room, Zhou Yi briefed Lei Ming, Zhang Liping, Yu Zhen, and the others on the operation and explained that the Gold-Inlaid Jade Buddha resembled an antique stolen in a Lingyun Town murder case.
• In the corridor, Jiang Weihong recognized that Cui Zhiming’s effort to target Zhou Yi reflected the political conflict between Zhou Zhiyuan and Mayor Chai.
• He Haidong demanded to see the Gold-Inlaid Jade Buddha, while Cui Zhiming demanded the complete video evidence; both left displeased after Zhou Yi met their requests.
• Zhou Yi arranged Fu Yu’s interrogation, but Fu Yu shut his eyes and refused to answer questions as he waited for his father to intervene.
• On August 20, Min Yashan reported that Fu Yu had raped her and provided video evidence.
• On August 21, Wu Sen confessed that Fu Yu had ordered the Lingyun Town home-invasion robbery and murder.

After Fu Yu’s arrest, evidence of his crimes mounted and Wu Sen turned himself in, while Zhou Yi was summoned by the Anping City People’s Procuratorate over an abuse-of-power investigation. Zhou Yi discovered that an online post featuring an edited video of him had driven the case forward, and recognized the commenter behind its pinned criticism.

• Min Yashan grew to hate Fu Yu after he used her and passed her to another man, while Wu Sen surrendered after learning Fu Yu had been arrested.
• The Special Case Task Force received a flood of tips about Fu Yu, and the county procuratorate approved his arrest on August 25.
• The Anping City People’s Procuratorate opened an abuse-of-power investigation into Zhou Yi, and Cui Zhiming personally served him a summons.
• Lei Ming reassured Zhou Yi that Yan Xiangyu had reported the matter to the city, while Zhou Yi’s colleagues questioned why the investigation continued.
• Zhou Xiaofan sent Zhou Yi a link to an online post featuring an edited video of his beating of Zeng Yuqiang, and Zhou Yi recognized the commenter “Fangfang.”

Zhou Yi watched Lin Fang and her supporters accuse him of police brutality, but “A Moon in the Sky” challenged her claims and “Little Boat” posted evidence explaining the incident. After Little Boat revealed Zhou Yi’s background and photos, commenters shifted from debating the case to asking how to marry him.

• Lin Fang used the forum thread to argue that Zhou Yi had abused his authority, while commenters joined in condemning him.
• “A Moon in the Sky” challenged Lin Fang’s conclusions and demanded evidence that the officer had used excessive force.
• “Little Boat” posted the full video and explained that Zhou Yi had acted to stop a kidnapping and had arrested the suspects.
• Lin Fang argued that the case required procedural justice and cited the procuratorate’s investigation, then accepted “A Moon in the Sky’s” bet over whether Zhou Yi was guilty.
• “Little Boat” posted Zhou Yi’s career record and police photographs, prompting commenters to abandon the argument and admire him.
• “Beautiful Bad Woman” asked what she should keep in mind if she married Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi watched online commenters rally to his defense and thanked Jian Shuyue for supporting him. At the procuratorate, officials arrived to support him, but before his questioning began, the case was abruptly dismissed and he was released.

• Lin Fang grew furious as forum users praised Zhou Yi, then recognized Zhou Xiaofan as the user who had posted clearer videos of him.
• Zhou Yi deduced that Zhou Xiaofan had collected the photos and videos, thanked Jian Shuyue for defending him, and received her invitation to her birthday party if she won their bet.
• Zhao Yue, Du Jiang, Jiang Weihong, Lin Changqing, Zhou Yi, and other officials arrived at the Anping City People's Procuratorate, where Wang Dongsheng joined them and warmly greeted Zhou Yi.
• Cui Zhiming prepared to question Zhou Yi over suspected abuse of power, while Song Haiping took a call from the mayor.
• Song Haiping returned and announced that the procuratorate had found Zhou Yi committed no crime and was dismissing the case, leaving Zhou Yi and the officials bewildered.

After Song Haiping dropped the case against Zhou Yi, Deputy Secretary Wang Dongsheng challenged the procuratorate’s grounds for investigating him and sharply criticized its officials. The chapter ended with Mayor Chai Xiongwei puzzling over a Liaodong Daily headline about Provincial Party Committee Secretary Jian Wanyan visiting Tongyuan City.

• Song Haiping told Zhou Yi that the case had been dropped and that the procuratorate would cancel his summons.
• Deputy Secretary Wang Dongsheng demanded that Song Haiping and Cui Zhiming explain why they had opened the investigation.
• Cui Zhiming showed Wang Dongsheng the online forum thread, whose comments supported Zhou Yi and condemned Zeng Yuqiang.
• Song Haiping claimed the procuratorate had dropped the case after hearing the public’s views, and Wang Dongsheng accused him and Cui Zhiming of dereliction of duty.
• Mayor Chai Xiongwei read a newspaper headline announcing Jian Wanyan’s visit to Tongyuan City and wondered what it meant.

Chai Xiongwei learned Zhou Yi might be connected to Jian Shuyue’s family, while Jian Wanyan watched videos of Zhou Yi and resolved to deal with him. After Fu Yu escaped custody, Zhou Yi anticipated the fugitives’ route and confronted him in the mountains.

• He Bin warned Chai Xiongwei that Zhou Yi seemed connected to Secretary Jian’s family, and Chai considered winning Zhou Yi over.
• He Bin assured Jian Shuyue he had kept her connection to Zhou Yi secret, while Jian Wanyan watched videos of Zhou Yi and took an interest in him.
• Zhang Liping told Zhou Yi that Fu Yu had escaped during a staged medical transfer, and Zhou returned to Dongji County.
• Lei Ming and Zhang Liping questioned where Fu Yu had fled, while Zhou Yi considered whether events still matched his past life.
• Fu Yu and three accomplices crossed Banla Mountain toward Xifeng County, but Zhou Yi appeared on their trail and asked what had taken them so long.

Zhou Yi’s team recaptured Fu Yu in Crow Forest, arrested Xu Hongbin, and shattered Fu Pingjiang’s efforts to protect his son. After Zhou Yi told him Xu had been detained, Fu Yu broke down and agreed to confess to the crimes he and his father had committed.

• Zhou Yi’s team and Xiao Han’s armed police squad captured Fu Yu and his gang in Crow Forest, killing one thug who tried to draw his gun.
• Xiao Han praised Zhou Yi’s accurate deductions and exchanged contact information with him after they returned to the County Public Security Bureau.
• Yan Xiangyu and Lei Ming learned Fu Yu had been recaptured, and Yan decided to appoint Zhou Yi deputy director of the Public Security Bureau after his probation.
• Zhang Liping questioned Fu Yu while two other suspects identified Xu Hongbin as the mastermind, and Zhou Yi led investigators to arrest Xu as he prepared to flee.
• Fu Pingjiang learned Fu Yu had been recaptured and Xu had been detained, while Mayor Chai Xiongwei urged him to abandon his son.
• After Zhou Yi told Fu Yu that Xu had been detained, Fu Yu broke down and agreed to confess to the crimes he and Fu Pingjiang had committed.

After Dongji County's political purge, Zhou Zhiyuan praised Zhou Yi's role in the crime crackdown and called for more officials like him. Xie Zhaolong tried to flee, but Zhou Yi found him gravely wounded and heard him plead for help.

• Fu Pingjiang and several other officials were detained, leaving Yan Xiangyu with the decisive voice in Dongji County politics.
• Zhou Zhiyuan praised Zhou Yi at a municipal Party Standing Committee meeting and called for stronger public security and the promotion of capable officials.
• The task force prepared to target Xie Zhaolong, who feared Zhou Yi and planned to flee with his trusted men.
• A member of Xie Zhaolong's group tipped off the police, and Zhou Yi led officers to his hideout on September 5.
• Xie Zhaolong escaped before the raid, but Zhou Yi caught up with his gray sedan and found him bleeding in the back seat, begging to be saved.

Zhou Yi called an ambulance for the dying Xie Zhaolong, then helped finish the cases that dismantled Dongji’s criminal gangs. After Zheng Yifan hinted that Zhou Yi would become a deputy director, Zhou Yi’s leave plans changed when Jian Shuyue returned to Liaoyang and invited him to visit.

• Zhou Yi called an ambulance as Xie Zhaolong handed him a wooden pendant for Li Ruoyun and died after asking Zhou Yi to pass it on.
• Dongji police arrested Xie Zhaolong’s two henchmen and confiscated 1.23 million yuan, completing the eradication of the county’s three major criminal gangs.
• Yan Xiangyu praised Zhou Yi’s work, promised him half a month of leave, and gave him a carton of cigarettes.
• Zheng Yifan told Zhou Yi that a deputy director position at the Public Security Bureau was opening, and Zhou Yi thanked him for the news.
• Zhou Yi and his colleagues spent half a month preparing organized-crime case files for the county People’s Procuratorate.
• Jian Shuyue told Zhou Yi she had returned to Liaoyang for their alma mater’s anniversary and invited him to visit, changing his plans to travel to Capital City.

Zhou Yi traveled to Liaoyang for Jian Shuyue’s birthday, while a gunman committed another armed robbery and murder in the city. The chapter ended with Ji Minsheng learning that the suspect had been caught.

• Guo Dongmei warned Zhou Yi not to give Jian Shuyue the wrong idea, but Mr. Zhou defended his son’s right to choose whom he loved.
• Zhou Yi traveled from Anping to Liaoyang and reunited with Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian, while Bai Haoxuan and Xu Heng rode with them.
• A gunman shot two machinery factory employees who had withdrawn cash, stole their money, and fled by motorcycle.
• Ji Minsheng recalled the earlier May 24 robbery and murder and suspected that the wanted fugitive Sun Zhe had struck again.
• Ji Minsheng ordered Guo Yong to send officers to Victory Avenue, then learned that the suspect had been caught.