Chapter Summaries

K watched the compound celebrate A Qiang’s huge scam deal and reflected on how greed and coercion turned its workers into participants in a criminal empire. As he continued waiting to seize the organization’s stolen funds, an unfamiliar number called and a familiar young man asked whether he had missed him.

• K entered the office hall and saw a supervisor announce that A Qiang had landed a 3.5-million-yuan deal and earned a 700,000-yuan commission.
• The supervisor rallied the chatters to celebrate A Qiang, while K noticed former boat companions cheering among the crowd.
• K considered how workers who resisted the compound were resold, with some destined for the organ black market in Myawaddy.
• K decided the celebration was dull and reaffirmed his goal of taking control of the compound’s stolen funds.
• K answered a call from an unfamiliar local number, and a familiar young man teased him by asking if he had missed him.

K spoke with Xie Yunchuan, who had escaped the raid on his organ factory and wanted to know how K had exposed it. Xie threatened to track K through his phone, but K dismissed him and ended the call.

• Xie Yunchuan called K and said he had escaped the burning factory before asking how K had located it.
• K explained that he had implanted a miniature satellite tracker in Wei Guangyuan before surgery, bypassing the factory’s signal jammers.
• Xie Yunchuan questioned K’s motives, and K said he targeted him because he disliked his face and pretentious manner.
• Xie Yunchuan claimed his men might have planted a tracker in K’s phone and warned that they would meet soon.
• K called Xie Yunchuan a fucking idiot, hung up, and put the phone away without showing concern about the threat.

After K insulted him during a phone call, Xie Yunchuan became more determined to capture him and ordered his men to livestream the attempt. A foreign operative reported that he was outside K’s residence, and Xie Yunchuan gave the order to begin.

• Xie Yunchuan erupted into hysterical laughter after ending his call with K, then told his subordinate to bring K back.
• Xie Yunchuan ordered his subordinate to livestream the capture so he could watch K’s reaction.
• The subordinate connected a video feed from a masked foreign operative waiting outside K’s residence.
• The operative warned Xie Yunchuan that capturing K near the capital carried serious risks and asked for confirmation of the plan.
• Xie Yunchuan assured the operative that the escape route and cover arrangements were ready, then ordered him to begin.

In a hidden state security safe house in Cangzhou, Rock and his team discovered that unidentified foreign armed men had surrounded them and prepared to hold out until reinforcements arrived. The attackers began advancing, and Rock ordered the team to prepare to engage.

• Lynx, Nightingale, and another team member reported suspicious heat sources surrounding the safe house, and Rock assessed the threat.
• Rock rejected calling the local police and contacted an emergency response detachment at a nearby military region for support.
• Rock ordered Lynx to open the hidden armory, and the four team members armed themselves and took defensive positions.
• Nightingale spotted three attackers leaving an abandoned van as the other suspected intruders began closing in.
• Rock ordered his team to their positions and prepare to engage.

Mark Russell led Mithril Squad into an apartment to abduct K, but found a heavily armed team waiting for them. As helicopters and armored vehicles surrounded the building, Mark and his men were captured, leaving him wondering who K and their employer really were.

• Mark Russell ordered Mithril Squad to enter K’s apartment and capture him alive.
• Key bypassed the apartment’s electronic lock, and Mark and Butcher entered with their weapons raised.
• Mark and Butcher found armed operators waiting in formation, surrendered, and were bound and disarmed.
• Key ordered the remaining squad members to withdraw, but helicopters and military vehicles arrived and surrounded the building.
• Mark heard that Team B and Key had been stopped, and he was handcuffed while questioning the employer’s false description of K.

After his elite squad’s operation against K failed, Xie Yunchuan calmly vowed to catch him and turned to his private quarters. He emerged dressed for surgery, and agonized cries from behind the closed door suggested he was torturing the assistant he held responsible for the failure.

• Xie Yunchuan smashed a wineglass against the display after seeing the failed operation and the squad’s apparent deaths.
• Xie Yunchuan called K and said he would catch him, but K calmly replied that he would wait and hung up.
• Xie Yunchuan left the assistant kneeling in terror and went through the private door.
• Two men entered and dragged the assistant into Xie Yunchuan’s private quarters.
• Xie Yunchuan came back out in surgical scrubs, returned behind the door, and the assistant’s screams soon faded.

K dismissed Xie Yunchuan’s threat and continued working undercover in the compound, sabotaging its code just enough to make himself indispensable. He traced the compound’s money-laundering network and believed he could eventually identify the people behind it.

• K ended his encrypted call with Xie Yunchuan and brushed off his promise to catch him.
• K planted subtle flaws in an old clearing interface while maintaining the appearance of competent work.
• K studied the compound’s money flows and traced several transfer nodes through shell companies toward overseas bank accounts.
• K continued tracking the network’s financial data, believing the trail would eventually lead to the people behind the scheme.
• K ignored the satellite phone and returned to his work, leaving Xie Yunchuan to try to find him.

Lin Feng and Lü Yi bought New Year gifts for Lin Feng’s parents, then decided to get a car so they could transport their purchases more easily. They arrived at a dealership and were greeted by a saleswoman.

• Lin Feng and Lü Yi shopped for New Year goods, and Lin Feng chose useful health products, olive oil, rice, and two cartons of Chunghwa for his parents.
• Lin Feng remembered telling his parents he had left school to work for Lawyer Zhou, whose name reassured them.
• After struggling to carry their purchases, Lin Feng decided to buy a car, and the two left the bags at their residential compound’s guardhouse.
• Lin Feng and Lü Yi took a taxi to an auto mall and entered a nearby joint-venture dealership to browse.
• A saleswoman welcomed Lin Feng and Lü Yi and asked whether they had an appointment or a model in mind.

Lin Feng bought a dark-gray Lexus GX after deciding it suited his need for a quiet, dependable vehicle. As he started it, he realized he had forgotten to ask whether Lü Yi could drive, and Lü Yi admitted that he had no driver's license because he was mentally ill.

• Lin Feng and Lü Yi visited a car showroom, where Salesperson Chen showed them several SUVs.
• Lin Feng chose a dark-gray, top-trim Lexus GX and negotiated a lower price, paying in full.
• Salesperson Chen arranged the paperwork, inspection, and temporary plates, and Lin Feng took possession of the GX.
• Lin Feng started the engine and instinctively searched for a clutch pedal before remembering the car was an automatic.
• Lin Feng asked Lü Yi whether he had a driver's license, and Lü Yi admitted he did not; Lin Feng slapped his forehead in dismay.

After realizing that neither he nor Lü Yi had a driver's license, Lin Feng used his connections to obtain one and have Secretary Zhang handle the car's permanent plates. The chapter left Lin Feng waiting calmly while Salesperson Chen wondered at his influence.

• Lin Feng told Salesperson Chen that neither he nor Lü Yi had a driver's license, and she offered to discuss canceling the purchase.
• Lin Feng called Wei Guanglin, who arranged for a driver's license to be delivered within thirty minutes.
• Secretary Zhang arrived with Lin Feng's new driver's license and offered to arrange the car's permanent plates.
• Lin Feng gave Secretary Zhang the purchase documents and keys, declined to request a particular plate number, and let him handle the registration.
• Salesperson Chen watched Secretary Zhang leave and marveled at Lin Feng's connections.

After learning that Lin Feng obtained a driver's license and help with official plates through a call to Mayor Wei's secretary, Manager Wang ordered Salesperson Chen to give him extra perks and provide especially attentive service. Salesperson Chen returned to the VIP room with fresh tea and Coke, prepared to impress Lin Feng.

• Salesperson Chen told Manager Wang that Lin Feng had received a driver's license from Secretary Zhang within half an hour and that Zhang was handling the official plates.
• Manager Wang realized Lin Feng was an unusually powerful customer and decided to preserve the negotiated price while adding premium accessories, services, and maintenance vouchers.
• Manager Wang assured Salesperson Chen that she would still receive commission on the original contract price and instructed her to serve the guests promptly.
• Manager Wang adjusted Salesperson Chen's blouse and suggested that she use a warmer, more graceful manner with Lin Feng.
• Salesperson Chen prepared fresh Jin Jun Mei tea and iced Coke, adjusted her appearance, and knocked on the VIP room door.

Lin Feng and Lü Yi waited at the dealership while the staff arranged extra gifts and Secretary Zhang completed the registration. After Lin Feng received ordinary license plates, he and Lü Yi drove away in their new Lexus GX.

• Salesperson Chen offered Lin Feng and Lü Yi extra gifts and maintenance vouchers as part of a year-end promotion.
• Salesperson Chen brought Lin Feng and Lü Yi lunch while they waited for the paperwork.
• Secretary Zhang delivered Lin Feng’s vehicle registration certificate, driving permit, and ordinary blue license plates.
• Lin Feng explained to Lü Yi that an ordinary plate suited their practical goal of avoiding attention.
• Salesperson Chen arranged for technicians to install the plates and prepare the Lexus GX for delivery.
• Lin Feng drove the Lexus GX out of the dealership with Lü Yi in the passenger seat.

Lin Feng drove Lü Yi from the city to his family home for the New Year. Zhang Fen briefly suspected Lü Yi was more than a friend, but Lin Feng explained the situation, and she warmly welcomed him inside.

• Lin Feng drove Lü Yi along the expressway toward his county hometown while Lü Yi explored the car and chattered.
• At a service area, Lü Yi bought instant noodles and ham sausages, then fell asleep after eating.
• Lin Feng and Lü Yi arrived at Lin Feng's family apartment and carried their New Year gifts upstairs.
• Zhang Fen pulled Lin Feng aside and nervously asked why he had brought a man home for the New Year.
• Lin Feng introduced Lü Yi as an orphaned friend with nowhere to spend the holiday and teased Zhang Fen about watching too many short dramas.
• Zhang Fen welcomed Lü Yi into the home and invited him to spend the New Year with the family.

Monkey visited Lin Feng and his family with his sister, Hou Xiaoya, for the New Year. Lin Feng initially declined a high school reunion, but agreed after Zhang Fen urged him to go, leaving him resigned to attending on the third day of the New Year.

• Monkey and Hou Xiaoya visited Lin Feng's home and brought New Year gifts, where Zhang Fen warmly welcomed them.
• Zhang Fen took Hou Xiaoya and Lü Yi to the kitchen to make dumplings, leaving Lin Feng and Monkey to talk.
• Monkey told Lin Feng that class monitor Liu Hao had arranged a high school reunion at the Gathering Worthies Pavilion on the third day of the New Year.
• Lin Feng said he had no interest in attending the reunion, and Monkey accepted his decision.
• Zhang Fen overheard their conversation and urged Lin Feng to attend and reconnect with his classmates.
• Lin Feng agreed to go after Zhang Fen pressed him, while Monkey silently laughed at his predicament.

Lin Feng spent New Year's Eve with his parents and Lü Yi, sharing the ordinary warmth of preparations, dinner, and fireworks. As the new year arrived, he felt some of the coldness in his heart begin to thaw.

• Lin Feng helped his family put up Spring Festival decorations, while Lü Yi proudly placed a good-fortune character crookedly.
• Zhang Fen took Lin Feng to the market, and he watched her and the neighbors prepare for the holiday.
• The family cooked and shared New Year's Eve dinner, with Zhang Fen welcoming Lü Yi and talking about Lin Feng's work.
• Lin Feng ate a coin-filled dumpling and received Zhang Fen's wishes for good fortune.
• Lin Feng, his parents, and Lü Yi welcomed the new year together as fireworks filled the sky.

On the first morning of the Lunar New Year, Lin Feng got up to prepare for a visit from his aunts and their families. His mother warned him that his second aunt liked to brag and urged him to avoid arguments as the family prepared to welcome the relatives.

• Zhang Fen woke Lin Feng and told him his second and third aunts and their families were coming to visit.
• Lin Feng got up and found Zhang Fen tidying the living room while Lin Jianguo watched a Spring Festival Gala rerun.
• Zhang Fen warned Lin Feng that his second aunt, Wang Guifang, often showed off and told him not to take her remarks to heart or talk back.
• Lin Feng recalled how Wang Guifang's boasting had embarrassed the original owner of his body, but agreed calmly to his mother's advice.
• Zhang Fen prepared porridge, cigarettes, and fruit for the visitors as Lin Feng finished washing up.

Lin Feng’s relatives gathered for New Year’s Eve, where Second Aunt Wang Guifang boasted about Sun Penghui’s high-paying job abroad and urged Lin Feng to leave university and follow him. Lin Feng recognized troubling similarities between the job pitch and recruitment schemes associated with Southeast Asia, though he hid his suspicions from his family.

• Third Aunt and Second Aunt Wang Guifang arrived with their families to visit Zhang Fen and Lin Jianguo.
• The relatives discussed Lin Feng’s law studies and questioned his prospects after graduation.
• Wang Guifang praised Sun Penghui’s foreign tech job, claiming he earned over sixteen hundred US dollars in base pay and several hundred thousand yuan in commission.
• Wang Guifang urged Lin Feng to take a leave from university and let Sun Penghui help him find work abroad.
• Lin Feng connected the job’s promises to possible fraud or gambling operations in Southeast Asia and concealed his suspicion while offering Wang Guifang a mandarin.

Second Aunt Wang Guifang boasted that Sun Penghui worked for a high-earning investment company and described a special channel for relatives to invest alongside wealthy clients. Lin Feng recognized the offer as resembling a telecom fraud scheme and decided to ask K to investigate Penghui’s company and the colleague who had approached Wang Guifang.

• Wang Guifang told the family that Sun Penghui earned hundreds of thousands a month at a high-tech investment company with insider information.
• Wang Guifang said the company barred employees’ immediate family from investing, but a close colleague had offered a special channel for relatives to join wealthy clients’ orders.
• Lin Feng recognized the investment pitch as resembling a pig-butchering scam and suspected Sun Penghui’s work and high salary might involve coercion or fraud.
• Lin Feng asked why Sun Penghui was not coming home for the New Year, and Wang Guifang said the company had no holiday and was busy boosting performance.
• Lin Feng chose not to confront the family and resolved to have K investigate Sun Penghui’s company and the colleague who had contacted Wang Guifang.

After their relatives left, Lin Feng warned Zhang Fen that Wang Guifang’s investment pitch involving Sun Penghui’s overseas job resembled schemes used by overseas telecom fraud rings. Zhang Fen decided to caution her sister privately without directly accusing Sun Penghui, leaving the family’s next steps uncertain.

• After the relatives left, Lin Feng helped Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen clean up while reflecting on Wang Guifang’s excitement about investing and Sun Penghui’s distant behavior.
• Lin Feng told Zhang Fen that the supposed insider investment channel and Sun Penghui’s overseas job shared warning signs with telecom fraud schemes.
• Zhang Fen asked whether Lin Feng had evidence, and he clarified that he could not be certain but urged her to investigate before Wang Guifang invested.
• Zhang Fen decided to warn Wang Guifang privately about investment scams while avoiding a direct accusation against Sun Penghui.
• Lin Feng offered to share examples from his work at the law firm if Zhang Fen needed support in cautioning Wang Guifang.

Lin Feng attended his high school class reunion at the Gathering Worthies Pavilion, where his former classmates compared their lives and careers. Zhao Yali arrived with her much older husband, Mr. Ma, and took a seat directly across from Lin Feng.

• Lin Feng left Lü Yi waiting in the car and went into the restaurant for the reunion Liu Hao had arranged.
• Liu Hao welcomed Lin Feng and led him to a table, where Lin Feng kept quiet as classmates discussed their jobs, incomes, and families.
• Zhao Yali arrived with an elderly man and drew the classmates’ attention.
• Zhao Yali introduced the man as her husband, Mr. Ma, and Liu Hao welcomed them.
• Zhao Yali sat across from Lin Feng beside Mr. Ma and gave Lin Feng a lingering smile.