Cemetery

The rain continued to fall softly, pattering against the black umbrella with a delicate, persistent "shush" sound, like background music for this solemn departure.

Lin Feng walked in front, with Lawyer Zhou half a step behind, and the others followed silently behind. Just like when they arrived, the group walked silently out along the slippery cemetery path.

The pebbles and grass underfoot were soaked by the rain, making a soft squelching sound as they stepped on them. All around were rows of tombstones standing silently in the rain, like countless silent eyes watching over this special group of visitors.

In the midst of this almost frozen silence, a suppressed yet still barely concealed sob could be heard intermittently from the back of the group.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in such a quiet environment.

Lin Feng stopped in his tracks.

Almost everyone behind him stopped in their tracks at the same time.

Lin Feng slowly turned around, his gaze passing over Lawyer Zhou's shoulder and landing on the source of the sound.

It's Lü Yi.

This tall young man, who usually had a whimsical mind, acted eccentrically, and seemed to know nothing of sadness, was now bowing his head, his broad shoulders trembling slightly.

Rainwater streamed down his short, stiff hair, mixing with the warm tears welling in his eyes, and tracing the lines of his rugged yet sorrowful face.

He gripped the umbrella handle tightly with one hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, while his other hand hung limply at his side, like a lost child.

He seemed to be trying hard to hold back, but a sob still escaped his throat uncontrollably, sounding particularly jarring and... real in the quiet cemetery.

Lin Feng looked at him, a very faint, almost imperceptible ripple passing through his calm eyes. He stepped forward, weaving through the others who automatically made way for him, and walked up to Lü Yi.

"What's wrong?" Lin Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Lü Yi's ears amidst the sound of rain. There was no blame, no impatience, only a simple inquiry.

Lü Yi raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, his face wet, indistinguishable between rain and tears. He sniffed hard, his voice thick with nasal congestion, and said in a somewhat broken voice:

"Boss... I... I just feel... Old Feng... is so happy..."

He sobbed, struggling to find the words to say.

"When he was alive... he could die like a true hero... a glorious death... he accomplished so much... and left so... peacefully!" A complex light, a mixture of envy, longing, and sadness, flickered in Lü Yi's eyes. "Even in death... so many of us still remember him, come to see him, bring him his favorite wine..."

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his voice rising slightly, revealing the undisguised directness characteristic of someone with a mental illness:

"Boss! One day... one day I want to be like Old Feng! I want to... live a life of great achievement! I want... to be remembered!"

These words may sound naive, even out of place, but coming from Lü Yi, they carry a moving and pure sincerity. He doesn't yearn for death itself, but for the magnificent act of burning one's life to achieve some ultimate meaning, and the "sense of existence" that will not be forgotten after death.

Lin Feng listened quietly without answering immediately. He looked into Lü Yi's eyes, which were exceptionally bright with excitement and tears, and seemed to see a simple yet passionate heart beneath her chaotic thoughts.

He said nothing, but simply raised his hand and gently patted Lü Yi's muscular shoulder, which was now trembling slightly from crying.

Just then, a figure approached silently, like a shadow blending into the rain.

It's K.

He was still wearing that unassuming dark-colored clothing, with a pair of black-rimmed Glasses perched on his nose, his eyes behind the lenses calm and focused. His skin was pale from being indoors for long periods without sunlight, and he looked refined, thin, and even somewhat frail, but no one who knew his abilities would be fooled by this appearance.

He walked to Lin Feng's side, bowed slightly, and spoke in a steady, even voice, as if Lü Yi's emotional outburst had never happened.

"Owner."

Lin Feng withdrew his hand from Lü Yi's shoulder and turned his gaze to K.

K handed over a seemingly unremarkable tan document bag with both hands; the paper was thick and the seal was tight.

"You asked me to look up information about Ankang Hospital, and I've made some progress." K's voice was as precise and efficient as his typing, devoid of any unnecessary emotion.

Lin Feng took the file bag; it felt slightly heavy. He skillfully unsealed it and pulled out a stack of documents that weren't too thick, but were densely formatted and full of data and chart links. He quickly scanned the contents while listening to K's report.

"Based on the information we've gathered so far," K's voice was clearly audible through the rain, "Ankang Hospital definitely has serious problems."

Lin Feng's gaze swept quickly across the pages, which listed some preliminary financial irregularities, screenshots of online keyword advertising records, and so on. He didn't look up, but simply gave a soft "hmm," signaling K to continue.

K pushed up his Glasses, the lenses reflecting the gloomy sky of the cemetery, and continued in his flat tone:

"Based on the information I've gathered so far, Ankang Hospital may be involved in activities such as defrauding the medical insurance fund, violating medical record management regulations, charging extra fees during surgery and providing excessive medical treatment, and false advertising. Furthermore, they have hired a large number of medical touts online and purchased a large amount of paid search rankings to mislead patients."

Lin Feng stopped flipping through the papers, looked up at K, and frowned slightly.

"What does 'adding a markup' mean?" This term was somewhat unfamiliar to him.

K immediately provided an explanation, like a precise search engine. "'Additional charges during surgery' refers to the phenomenon where medical institutions or medical personnel demand additional fees from patients during the surgical procedure for various reasons. This usually occurs when the patient is under anesthesia or unable to resist."

After listening, Lin Feng revealed a cold, sarcastic smile.

"Ha," he scoffed, "It's just tying the Patient to the operating table, anesthetizing them, and then demanding money from them, right? What's the difference between that and robbery? And the kind where you take advantage of someone's illness to kill them."

His tone was calm, but the chill in his words made the surrounding temperature seem to drop several degrees.

"Is there any evidence for these things?" Lin Feng asked, his gaze returning to the documents.

When K heard the question, he slowly shook his head, giving a negative answer for the first time since he appeared.

"We haven't yet obtained any core, substantive evidence that can directly prove the case." His tone remained calm, but the content was alarming. "According to my preliminary investigation, from the actual controller behind the scenes at Ankang Hospital to the core attending physicians and the specific nursing assistants, everyone in the chain seems to have formed a community of interests and a united front. Internal oversight is practically non-existent."

He paused, then added the technical difficulties, "So, whether we hack into their electronic medical record system or try to retrieve internal surveillance footage, we haven't found any conclusive evidence that can directly pinpoint their guilt. Their operations are very covert, and... it seems they have expert guidance on how to circumvent conventional electronic forensics."

Lin Feng looked up at K, whose tone seemed somewhat hesitant, and asked directly:

"And what? Go on."

K paused for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully, then, in a lower and more serious tone than before, uttered the chilling guess:

"Furthermore, Master, I've discovered that Ankang Hospital... is very likely connected to an organization on the dark web that deals in human organs."

The rain is still falling.

It made a rustling sound.

But at this moment, the heaviness in the cemetery seemed to be replaced by something darker and colder.