Chapter Summaries

Miao Xiaomiao and Sima Yanan fought back when Fan Tingbai and his companions harassed them, triggering a brawl in the private room. When police arrived, Detachment Captain Guo Yong recognized Zhou Yi and ordered Fan Tingbai, Zhang Yuxuan, Ouyang Jing, and the bodyguards arrested, and Director Yuan backed him up.

• Miao Xiaomiao knocked Fan Tingbai down, while Zhang Yuxuan and Ouyang Jing called for reinforcements and Yuan Tanghua contacted Detachment Captain Guo Yong.
• Fan Tingfang arrived with five bodyguards and ordered them to attack Miao Xiaomiao, while Fan Tingbai tried to grab Sima Yanan.
• Zhou Yi and Xiao Han struck Fan Tingbai, and Sima Yanan kicked him and smashed a plate over his head as the two sides fought.
• Police sirens stopped the brawl, and Guo Yong ordered Fan Tingbai, Zhang Yuxuan, Ouyang Jing, and the bodyguards brought in after seeing Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue.
• Guo Yong whispered to Yuan Tanghua, who then ordered the police to take everyone away.

Zhou Yi’s group escaped consequences after Fan Tingbai’s assault, while his family learned they could not retaliate against the powerful people involved. Tong Xuan was lured into a police van by Ma Changxi, but the officers were actually working for Zhou Yi and arrested him.

• Guo Yong escorted Zhang Yuxuan and his companions away, while Yuan Tanghua explained that Jian Wanyan’s daughter had been involved.
• Fan Tingfang learned that the people who injured Fan Tingbai were connected to the Jian and Xiao families, and that Zhou Yi was about to become the Jian family’s son-in-law.
• Shan Zuocheng apologized to Zhou Yi and the others on behalf of his cousin.
• Tong Xuan emerged from hiding to meet officers who claimed they had come to rescue her, but Ma Changxi was waiting inside their van.
• Ma Changxi offered the officers cigarettes and cash before realizing they were taking him the wrong way.
• The officers struck Ma Changxi with an Electric Punch, restrained him with Silver Shackles, and gagged him.

Zhou Yi’s team rescued Tong Xuan from Changxing Village through a carefully planned operation. At Tian Tian’s birthday lunch, Zhou Yi advised his friends about stocks and rejected illegal overseas betting, leaving them to consider lawful ways to make money.

• Fan Yang reported Tong Xuan’s abduction to Fu Zhigang, who relayed the case to Zhou Yi and arranged for the Public Security Management Brigade to lead the rescue.
• Geng Tao told Shao Mingbao and Cai Xiaobo about village chief Ma Changxi, and they used Ma Jian’s name to gain his trust and get Tong Xuan out of Changxing Village.
• Cai Xiaobo told Zhou Yi that Tong Xuan had been rescued, and Zhou Yi praised his subordinates for carrying out the mission.
• At Tian Tian’s birthday lunch, Zhou Yi recommended stocks to Xu Heng and Bai Haoxuan and considered other investments, including football lottery tickets.
• Bai Haoxuan offered to fund Zhou Yi’s World Cup bets, but Zhou Yi declined overseas gambling because it was illegal.

After leaving Jian Shuyue and her friends, Zhou Yi attended the announcement of Yangcheng’s new officials, including Sima Yanan as Municipal Party Secretary. At Sima Yanan’s first Standing Committee meeting, she and two other officials praised Zhou Yi, leaving him wondering why the meeting had begun with compliments for him.

• Jian Shuyue teased Zhou Yi and his friends about gambling, and Zhou Yi explained that they had bought legitimate foreign football lottery tickets.
• Zhou Yi said goodbye to Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian before returning to Yangcheng, where he planned to bring Jian Shuyue to meet his parents during the May Day holiday.
• At Yangcheng’s April 18 officials’ meeting, Qingyuan leaders announced Sima Yanan’s appointment as Municipal Party Secretary and several other changes, including Shi Liang’s removal as Procurator-General.
• After the appointment meeting, Sima Yanan convened her first Standing Committee meeting and asked Zhou Yi, Liu Yi, and Wan Dean to stay.
• Sima Yanan, Su Zhongsheng, and Wang Zhe praised Zhou Yi’s public security work, while Zhou Yi wondered why they had complimented him three times in a row.

At a meeting on Yangcheng’s stability and development, Zhou Yi reported on the Public Security Bureau’s progress and shortages, prompting Sima Yanan and Shan Wenxu to secure funding for its case-handling costs and equipment. The meeting left Zhou pleased with the unexpected support while Wan Dean faced a major hit to the city’s tight finances.

• Sima Yanan praised Zhou Yi and invited him, Liu Yi, and Wan Dean to discuss stability, urban redevelopment, and fiscal work.
• Zhou Yi reported that Yangcheng’s urban order had improved but warned of criminal gangs in surrounding towns and villages, a shortage of police personnel, and outdated equipment and vehicles.
• Zhou Yi credited Shan Wenxu’s support for police recruitment, while Wan Dean silently worried that Zhou’s remarks would lead to demands for funds.
• Sima Yanan and Shan Wenxu agreed that the Finance Bureau had to provide the Public Security Bureau’s case-handling funds, and Wan Dean agreed to arrange their disbursement.
• Sima Yanan also ordered the city to budget for police equipment and the new Special Police Brigade, and Shan Wenxu said a provincial fiscal subsidy had been requested.
• Zhou Yi welcomed the funding commitments as an unexpected windfall while Wan Dean worried about the cost.

After Shao Mingbao was injured while intervening in an assault, Zhou Yi ordered the suspects arrested despite warnings that they were connected to potential investors. The arrests disrupted an investment lunch, and Vice Mayor Liu confronted the officers as they took the young men into custody.

• At a hot pot lunch with Liu Yi, Wan Dean, and Dai Zhengxing, Zhou Yi received an urgent call and rushed to the hospital to see the injured Shao Mingbao.
• Cai Xiaobo explained that Shao Mingbao had been beaten and stabbed after confronting young men harassing a woman, and that Li Linsen was tracing their car.
• Li Linsen told Zhou Yi that the attackers included Guo Ze’s son and children of potential investors, but Zhou ordered him to arrest them and said he would handle the consequences.
• Li Linsen led officers to the Investment Promotion Bureau’s hotel, where Deputy Mayor Liu Bo and Shi Hong were having lunch with Guo Ze and other investor representatives, and arrested three young men.
• Liu Bo confronted Li Linsen outside as the suspects were put into police cars, and Li explained that the arrests were made on Zhou Yi’s instructions.

Guo Ze and the other investors tried to get their sons released after learning they had stabbed a plainclothes officer, but Mayor Shan refused to bargain over the law. The chapter ended with Guo Ze discovering that even Qingyuan's executive vice mayor was unwilling to intervene with Zhou Yi.

• Vice Mayor Liu confirmed that Guo Yichen, Xue Chen, and Wang Xingda had stabbed a plainclothes officer who was still receiving emergency treatment.
• Shi Hong warned Guo Ze and the other investors that Zhou Yi was a respected director with Mayor Shan's support.
• Mayor Shan rebuked the investors, said the offense left him questioning their sincerity, and refused to promise special treatment for their sons.
• Guo Ze, Xue Renhui, and Wang Dewei left the meeting intending to seek help from higher-ranking officials.
• Guo Ze called Qingyuan Executive Vice Mayor Chen Lianhai, who hung up after learning the case involved Zhou Yi.

Guo Ze and his partners failed to pressure Yangcheng into releasing the arrested men, while Shan Wenxu stood firmly behind Zhou Yi and his subordinates. Zhou Yi’s bureau debated a rescue operation in Changxing Village and chose to delay it while preparing a plan; Guo Ze and his partners then visited Shao Mingbao, who refused to settle.

• Deputy Mayor Chen refused to intervene for Guo Ze, and Guo Ze and his partners failed to get officials to secure the prisoners’ release.
• Guo Ze’s group threatened to withdraw their investment, but Shan Wenxu told them to invest or leave, earning the support of his colleagues and Zhou Yi’s subordinates.
• Bian Ji presented Ganquan City’s request for help rescuing trafficked women in Changxing Village, and bureau leaders debated the risks of acting immediately.
• Zhou Yi sided with Bian Ji and instructed the bureau to tell Ganquan that it did not recommend an immediate rescue and needed time to prepare its own plan.
• Guo Ze, Wang Dewei, and Xue Renhui visited Shao Mingbao in the hospital, but Shao firmly rejected a settlement.

Guo Ze and Wang Dewei failed to bribe Shao Mingbao into showing leniency toward their sons, while Ganquan City pushed for a rescue operation for the trafficked Tian Jiawen. Director Zhou recognized the proposed team leader, Jiang Huizhen, as a notorious detective whose celebrated record had later been discredited, though she had remained in office before his rebirth.

• Guo Ze offered Shao Mingbao 300,000 yuan and then more, but Shao rejected the money and upheld the criminal detention of the three boys.
• Sun Lianzheng told Zheng Jianqing that Yangcheng opposed an immediate rescue in Changxing Village, and Jiang Huizhen insisted that they could not delay rescuing Tian Jiawen.
• Fu Zhigang reported that Ganquan City had renewed its request for cooperation, while Bian Ji warned that the police lacked the information needed to safely find Tian Jiawen.
• Director Zhou recognized Jiang Huizhen as Ganquan City's famous female super detective and recalled her role in a rape and murder case later overturned after the defendants were exonerated.

Director Zhou refused to meet the Ganquan City team and denied a bail application before an unexpected visitor appeared at the training room. Meanwhile, prosecutor Zhan Biao continued seeking a retrial for the Zhao father and son and received a call recommending a law firm.

• Director Zhou told his colleagues to make Ganquan City responsible for any adverse consequences of its investigation, and the bureau leadership welcomed Jiang Huizhen’s ten-member team without him.
• Director Zhou trained alone, rejected the bail application for Guo Yichen, Xue Chen, and Wang Xingda, and refused to meet their lawyer.
• After finishing his workout, Director Zhou spotted someone at the doorway and stammered in surprise as the newcomer echoed him.
• Zhan Biao reviewed the July 18 Rape and Murder Case materials and recalled that his appeals for a retrial had gone unanswered.
• Ruan Hua called Zhan Biao to recommend a law firm, leaving Zhan wondering why he needed another lawyer.

Ruan Hua urged Zhan Biao to contact Liaoyang Ruyi Law Firm for help overturning Zhao Yong’s wrongful conviction. Meanwhile, Jian Shuyue visited Zhou Yi, teased him before discussing a bail request, and received a challenging case from Zhen Ruyi.

• Ruan Hua explained that powerful support was needed to reopen the Zhao father and son’s wrongful-conviction case, and recommended Liaoyang Ruyi Law Firm to Zhan Biao.
• Ruan Hua told Zhan Biao that the firm had cleared Zhao Yongjiu in the Hanshan Home-Invasion Murder Case, and Zhan Biao considered contacting it.
• Jian Shuyue surprised Zhou Yi at his office, and the two kissed before returning to a professional demeanor.
• Jian Shuyue asked Zhou Yi whether her clients could get bail, but Zhou Yi refused and said the suspects were ineligible.
• Jian Shuyue admitted she was not handling the case and had only wanted to visit Zhou Yi.
• Zhen Ruyi called Jian Shuyue and sent her details of a challenging case, asking her to review it and respond quickly.

Jian Shuyue recognized that her new wrongful-conviction case involved Jiang Huizhen, and Zhou Yi promised he had a plan to help overturn the conviction. Meanwhile, Jiang led a reckless rescue mission that ended with police surrounded and injured, and Director Zhou angrily ordered her team to leave Yangcheng.

• Jian Shuyue found Jiang Huizhen's name in the appeal documents and decided to take her case, while Zhou Yi confirmed she was the same Jiang Huizhen involved in the rescue operation.
• Zhou Yi told Jiang Huizhen's team to oppose acting rashly and promised Jian Shuyue he had a plan to get the conviction overturned.
• Jiang Huizhen led the rescue team into Changxing Village, where villagers surrounded their police cars and attacked them with farm tools.
• Ma Erli taunted the police while dragging the captive Tian Jiawen by a chain, and Fan Xiaoyang was nearly killed before Cai Xiaobo and other officers rescued him.
• Jiang Huizhen's team retreated from the village, and Director Zhou berated her for the failed operation and ordered her people to leave immediately.

Zhou Yi drove Jiang Huizhen and her team out after their failed rescue operation, triggering a political dispute between Liaodong and Jiangnan. Zhou Yi told Jian Shuyue that the conflict was only the prelude to his plan, which next involved reporter Lin Fang.

• Zhou Yi blamed Jiang Huizhen for the failed operation and ordered her team to leave, while Political Commissar Bian escorted them out.
• Jiang Huizhen called Zheng Jianqing and accused Yangcheng's police of negligence, but Shan Wenxu rebuked Zheng and defended Zhou Yi's team.
• Zheng Jianqing and Wang Jiemin escalated the dispute to leaders in Qingyuan, Ganquan, Liaodong, and Jiangnan, with neither side conceding.
• Zhou Yi told Jian Shuyue that the political backlash against Jiang Huizhen was only the prelude and said Lin Fang would take the next step in his plan.
• At the Provincial Television Station, Lin Fang worried about rumors of her transfer back to Anping, then opened a QQ message from Too Much Sugar urging her to read a post.

Zhou Yi’s online campaign against the wrongful convictions of the Zhao Family father and son sparked nationwide outrage and forced the Jiangnan Province High People's Court to reopen the case. As Lawyer Jian prepared for the retrial, Zhou Yi also established Yangcheng’s Special Police Brigade, which soon launched its first operation.

• Lin Fang rallied her followers to amplify the post accusing Jiang Huizhen and Jiangnan Province's Political and Legal System of wrongdoing in the Zhao Family case.
• Zhou Yi’s online public-opinion campaign gained momentum, and attempts to censor discussion failed as media outlets outside Jiangnan Province pursued coverage.
• After the Central Publicity Department intervened, the Jiangnan Province High People's Court initiated retrial proceedings on May 12, 2006, prompting Zhao Yong, Zhan Biao, Ruan Hua, and their allies to celebrate.
• Lawyer Jian prepared to fight the retrial, while Zhou Yi and Reporter Tian praised the impact of the online campaign.
• Yangcheng’s Special Police Brigade was established on May 15 with thirty-two officers.
• On May 23, the Special Police Brigade joined the Criminal Investigation Brigade and the Public Security Management Brigade for its first counterterrorism and riot-control operation, targeting Changxing Village.

The Yangcheng Public Security Bureau launched a planned crackdown on Changxing Village, where the Ma family had abducted and abused Tian Jiawen. When Ma Erli threatened her with a knife and villagers advanced on police, Zhou Yi ordered a sniper to shoot him, leaving the crowd stunned and frightened.

• The Yangcheng Public Security Bureau sent a convoy to Changxing Village on market day to carry out its crackdown.
• Ma Changwei warned villagers about the police, and nearly a hundred armed villagers gathered outside Ma Erli's home.
• Ma Erli dragged Tian Jiawen into the courtyard and held a knife to her neck while ignoring police warnings.
• As the villagers advanced, Zhou Yi ordered the special police sniper to shoot Ma Erli.
• The sniper killed Ma Erli, and the gunshot sent the villagers into shock, prompting some to flee and others to hesitate.

Police rescued Tian Jiawen and three other women from Changxing Village, arrested Ma Changwei and many Ma clan members, and uncovered at least five sets of remains. As the rescue embarrassed Ganquan officials and renewed pressure on Jiang Huizhen, Ma Baojin decided to organize villagers to petition against Zhou.

• Zhao Xin covered Tian Jiawen with his jacket and took her home as police secured the scene.
• Guided by an informant, police rescued three more women, including Hu Wenhui, and found at least five sets of remains linked to Ma Erli.
• Police arrested Ma Changwei and many Ma clan members after they tried to block officers, while Liu Defu celebrated the clan’s downfall.
• The Yangcheng Public Security Bureau informed Ganquan that Tian Jiawen had been rescued, angering Zheng Jianqing and worsening Jiang Huizhen’s anxiety over the Zhao retrial and media attention.
• After learning Ma Changwei had been arrested and Ma Erli killed, Ma Baojin beat Ma Yuancheng and decided to organize a petition against Zhou.

Ma Baojin arranged to send Ma Erli’s relatives to petition in the capital, hoping to pressure local authorities. Ma Jian secretly cooperated with Director Zhou while carrying out the order, and Ma Yuancheng handed him money for Ma Chunhong as the Ma family’s hold on power continued to crumble.

• Ma Baojin ordered Ma Yuancheng to have Ma Jian gather Ma Erli’s sister and relatives, give them money, and send them to petition in the capital.
• Ma Jian told Director Zhou about the order, and Director Zhou told him to go along with it while Ma Jian offered him another idea.
• Ma Jian reasoned that the Ma and Feng families were doomed and that cooperating with the investigation could protect him and his family.
• Ma Jian returned and told Ma Yuancheng that Liu Defu and Liu Xin had informed on them, while Ma Yuancheng warned him to wait before retaliating.
• Ma Yuancheng gave Ma Jian twenty thousand yuan to deliver to Ma Chunhong for the petition, and he hoped the scheme would drive Director Zhou away.

Ma Jian secretly informed Director Zhou’s side about the township leaders’ plans, while Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong tried to identify the leak. Director Zhou persuaded Mayor Shan and Secretary Sima to act, leaving the two leaders alarmed as police cars headed out.

• Ma Chunhong sent five cousins to attack Liu Defu and Liu Xin, but investigators arrested them and detained Ma Chunhong and her associates before they could petition in Beijing.
• Ma Baojin ordered Ma Ben to watch Ma Jian, and Ma Ben learned from Doudou that Ma Jian had visited the Public Security Bureau.
• Ma Ben told Ma Jian that Ma Xiaoli would be brought back to continue the petition; after Ma Ben left, Ma Jian made a phone call.
• Director Zhou met with Mayor Shan and Secretary Sima, who agreed to his proposal and summoned Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong to a city meeting.
• Ma Ben reported that Ma Jian had turned informant, and Ma Yuancheng warned that several police cars had left the Yangcheng Public Security Bureau.

Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong fled Sitong Township after hearing Zhou Yi had found crucial evidence, while Zhou Yi delayed closing the net to unsettle their remaining accomplices. Police moved into the township to seize evidence and urge the gang members to surrender.

• Liaoyang Xie warned Ma Baojin that Zhou Yi had found crucial evidence, so Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong decided to flee to Yanbian with Ma Yuancheng and Ma Ben.
• Ma Baojin persuaded Ma Ben to join them, and the two leaders packed cash, gold, phones, passports, and other valuables before arranging to escape in Ma Jiang's van.
• After Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong left, Fan Yang led officers in raids on their homes to secure evidence and signal that the gang's crimes had been exposed.
• Zhou Yi told Sima Yanan and Mayor Shan that he would wait for the fugitives to get farther away and for their Sitong Township accomplices to become more rattled before closing the net.
• Li Pingwu, Fu Zhigang, and police and SWAT officers entered Sitong Township, broadcast warnings, and urged residents to report the gang and its members to surrender.

Ma Ben, Ma Jiang, and Ma Yuancheng helped turn on Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong, allowing the police to capture the gang’s leaders. Director Zhou explained that he had expected Ma Jiang and Ma Yuancheng to cooperate, and the chapter ended with confirmation that the two fugitives had been caught.

• Director Zhou ordered Deputy Brigade Leader Li Linsen to close in after gang members began surrendering and providing information.
• Ma Baojin found Ma Ben’s phone message, but Ma Jiang stopped the van and Ma Ben and Ma Jiang disarmed and subdued the two gang leaders with Ma Yuancheng’s help.
• Ma Ben, Ma Jiang, and Ma Yuancheng explained why they had turned against Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong.
• Director Zhou told Secretary Sima that information from Ma Ben and Ma Jian had led him to expect Ma Jiang and Ma Yuancheng to cooperate.
• Li Linsen reported that Ma Baojin and Feng Zhihong had been caught.