Chapter Summaries

Feng Jianguo told Wang Yong and Li Zhen how he had punished counselor Li Jing and Presiding Judge He for their actions in the Lin Feng case. He left the detectives shaken by his twisted idea of justice and his calm account of the attacks.

• Feng Jianguo revealed that he had pulled out counselor Li Jing’s tongue and treated the wound to keep her alive.
• Feng Jianguo explained that he had decided Li Jing deserved punishment after finding that she misdirected financial aid for impoverished students.
• Feng Jianguo said he had tied up Presiding Judge He and repeatedly dislocated her arm to leave her with a lasting injury.
• Wang Yong and Li Zhen listened in horror as Feng Jianguo justified his violence as a way to make his targets think more carefully.
• Feng Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette and closed his eyes, leaving the two detectives speechless.

After Feng Jianguo confessed to his crimes, Wang Yong explained to Li Zhen that Feng’s terminal cancer might let him die before he could be tried, leaving the case without a conviction. The officers hurried to verify the confession and find the injured victims, while hoping Li Jing and Zhang Qian would survive.

• Wang Yong and Li Zhen left the interrogation room after Feng Jianguo signed his confession and was taken to a holding room.
• Li Zhen asked what would happen to the case, and Wang Yong said Feng’s advanced cancer and the lengthy legal process could prevent him from ever reaching trial.
• Wang Yong explained that Feng would likely be released on medical grounds and that a confession could not replace a court judgment.
• Li Zhen accepted that Feng’s cancer and confession were probably genuine, and Wang Yong urged him to return to work.
• Wang Yong and Li Zhen hurried off to verify the confession, secure evidence, and locate Li Jing and Zhang Qian, whose survival could affect the case.

Police teams found Li Jing and Presiding Judge He badly injured, while Zhang Qian died in the hospital. After the case leaked online, public opinion erupted over Feng Jianguo’s vigilante violence as police struggled to contain the fallout.

• Police officers found Li Jing and her husband bound at home, and doctors determined that her tongue injury would likely leave permanent scars.
• Another team found Presiding Judge He with both shoulders dislocated and lasting trauma from Feng Jianguo’s abuse.
• The hospital reported that Zhang Qian had died from her extensive injuries, joining Sun Tingting among Feng Jianguo’s four victims who had died.
• Details of Feng Jianguo’s case spread online, provoking fierce debate over whether he was a hero or a criminal.
• Wang Yong and cyber police traced a threatening post to a fifth-grade boy, who admitted he had copied it to look cool.
• Lawyers, doctors, influencers, and online commenters amplified the controversy as police continued handling the case under public pressure.

Little Red Sweet Potato users rallied around Sun Tingting and Zhang Qian while condemning Feng Jianguo, and a reposted post defending them sparked a wave of mockery and anger on Quick Sound. The backlash briefly united users against the post but exposed how the Feng Jianguo case had widened into deeper social divisions.

• Little Red Sweet Potato posts expressed sympathy for Sun Tingting and Zhang Qian, minimized their actions, and demanded harsh punishment for Feng Jianguo.
• Accounts reposted a Little Red Sweet Potato blogger’s post claiming Sun Tingting had only misunderstood Lin Feng and Zhang Qian had merely protected the vulnerable.
• Quick Sound users mocked the blogger’s heavily staged candlelit photo and criticized her for turning the case into content.
• Other Quick Sound users condemned the post’s defense of Sun Tingting and Zhang Qian and its call to investigate Lin Feng.
• Quick Sound users temporarily united in their reaction to the post, while the online dispute continued to reveal growing divisions around Feng Jianguo’s case.

Lin Feng redirected the online backlash against Feng Jianguo’s case and arranged a fundraiser for Feng Jianguo’s daughter, but the fundraiser raised far more than he expected through public donations. The chapter left Lin Feng reflecting on the unexpected response from strangers.

• Lin Feng ordered Hacker K to expose the identities of the most inflammatory Little Red Sweet Potato accounts and to launch an anonymous fundraiser for Feng Jianguo’s daughter.
• The targeted accounts posted their own ID photos, addresses, and private chats, then deleted their content and left the internet after being mocked and condemned.
• Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan reported that the fundraiser had raised 2.17 million, including more than 1.3 million from netizens beyond the 800,000 Lin Feng’s group had donated.
• Lin Feng realized that strangers had contributed out of sympathy and mixed feelings about Feng Jianguo, and he silently considered their generosity.

After learning Feng Jianguo had been approved for medical parole, Lin Feng arranged a new place to live and returned to campus to collect his belongings. He said goodbye to Monkey and left university, heading toward an uncertain new life.

• Lawyer Zhou told Lin Feng that Feng Jianguo had been approved for medical parole, and offered him a vacant home to live in.
• Lin Feng returned to campus with two death warriors, while students whispered about his release and the controversy surrounding him.
• Monkey greeted Lin Feng with concern, and Lin Feng told him he planned to drop out of university.
• Monkey tried to dissuade Lin Feng, then accepted his decision and encouraged him to succeed.
• Lin Feng packed his belongings, said goodbye to Monkey, and left campus in a black SUV.

Lin Feng summoned Lü Yi, a delivery rider with stable bipolar disorder, and met him for lunch. Lü Yi’s attempt to avoid paying caused a commotion at the restaurant, leaving Lin Feng to settle the bill and warn him not to do it again.

• Lin Feng summoned Lü Yi and learned about his background, condition, and delivery skills.
• Lin Feng met Lü Yi at a roadside restaurant, where Lü Yi enthusiastically shared stories and city knowledge over lunch.
• Lü Yi claimed he would pay, then distracted the server and ran into the kitchen to evade the bill.
• The restaurant staff confronted Lü Yi, who pretended to be a Japanese officer, and Lin Feng paid for the meal and kitchen damage.
• Lü Yi told Lin Feng he had been trying to save the organization money, and Lin Feng warned him not to repeat the stunt.

Lin Feng met lawyer Zhou Wenyuan in a park to discuss consolidating and laundering funds, while his unusual bodyguard Lü Yi distracted Zhou with an elaborate performance of recycling a soda can. The chapter ended with Zhou accepting Lin Feng’s blunt explanation that Lü Yi was mentally ill and trying to focus on the financial proposal.

• Lin Feng met Zhou Wenyuan in a secluded park to review a plan for consolidating funds from different sources.
• Lü Yi stood guard nearby, watching his surroundings in an erratic and unsettling manner.
• Lü Yi retrieved a discarded soda can, pretended to drink from it, flattened it, and carefully sorted it for recycling while wearing gloves.
• Zhou asked Lin Feng who Lü Yi was and whether he knew kung fu, and Lin Feng said Lü Yi was his bodyguard and was mentally ill.
• Zhou stopped asking about Lü Yi and turned his attention back to Lin Feng’s financial proposal, though he continued glancing at the bodyguard.

Lin Feng and Zhou Wenyuan agreed to use an online alcohol store to disguise and consolidate funds while they worked toward establishing a foundation. On the way to lunch, they passed an old man who staged a fall, but Lin Feng walked on and Zhou Wenyuan followed, leaving the man waiting for another target.

• Zhou Wenyuan proposed creating a foundation, but acknowledged that Lin Feng lacked wealthy donors to support it in the short term.
• Zhou Wenyuan suggested opening an online alcohol store so the deathsworn could make purchases and turn their money into apparent business income, and Lin Feng approved the plan.
• Lin Feng, Zhou Wenyuan, and Lü Yi headed to a nearby restaurant after discussing the store.
• An old man staggered and fell as the group passed, groaning and clutching his chest.
• Lin Feng continued walking, Lü Yi followed him, and Zhou Wenyuan suppressed his urge to help and went after them.
• The old man’s expression shifted from pain to cunning as he waited for another passerby to take the bait.

Lin Nuannuan stopped to help an old man who had fallen, but he grabbed her wrist and falsely accused her of knocking him down. He demanded ten thousand yuan as onlookers watched and filmed, leaving her crying and trapped in his grip.

• Lin Nuannuan took a shortcut through a backstreet and found an old man lying on the ground.
• She rushed to help him, but he seized her wrist and accused her of knocking him down.
• The old man shouted for passersby to witness his accusation and demanded ten thousand yuan from Lin Nuannuan.
• Lin Nuannuan denied hitting him and pleaded for help, but the crowd stayed silent or filmed.
• The old man tightened his grip and continued feigning pain as Lin Nuannuan cried and struggled to get free.

Lin Nuannuan was trapped by an old man who falsely accused her of knocking him down and demanded money, while bystanders watched and offered little help. As his threats and staged heart attack wore her down, she closed her eyes, nearly ready to give in and pay.

• Lin Nuannuan repeatedly insisted that she had not hit the old man, but he gripped her wrist and demanded ten thousand yuan.
• The old man threatened to contact her school and spread accusations, while the onlookers filmed and debated whether she should pay him.
• The old man pretended to suffer a heart attack and used Lin Nuannuan's attempt to steady him to keep hold of her.
• Lin Nuannuan feared losing her tutoring job, facing trouble at school, and sacrificing the money saved for tuition.
• Overwhelmed by pain and despair, Lin Nuannuan stopped resisting and closed her eyes, nearly ready to pay.

Lin Feng intervened when an old man extorted Lin Nuannuan, letting Lü Yi handle the situation in his own bizarre way. Lin Feng and his companions left after the old man was subdued, while Lin Nuannuan remained stunned but relieved.

• The old man grabbed Lin Nuannuan's wrist and demanded ten thousand yuan, threatening to go to her school.
• Lin Feng glanced at Lü Yi, who confronted the old man and warned him that people had witnessed the incident.
• When the old man dismissed the warning and continued to threaten Lin Nuannuan, Lü Yi seized him and dragged him into a nearby alley.
• Lü Yi beat the old man, chased him down, and rode on his back until Lawyer Zhou told him to stop.
• Lin Feng left with Lawyer Zhou and Lü Yi, and Lin Nuannuan watched them go, relieved that the old man no longer dared threaten her.

After Lin Nuannuan thanked Lin Feng and his companions for rescuing her, Lin Feng learned that a professional was tailing them and ordered Old Chen to track the man’s accomplices. The group ate at a Hunan restaurant while Lin Feng watched the growing crowd, suspecting the apparent diners were connected to the scam ring.

• Lin Nuannuan thanked Lin Feng, Lawyer Zhou, and Lü Yi for stopping the old man who had harassed her, then exchanged contact information with Lawyer Zhou.
• Old Chen warned Lin Feng that a professional tail was following them, and Lin Feng told him to let the man follow while searching for his accomplices.
• Lü Yi led Lin Feng and Lawyer Zhou to Old Chen's Homestyle Cooking, where they ordered four Hunan dishes and discussed plans for an online store.
• As the three men ate, the restaurant quickly filled with groups of ordinary-looking customers who did not interact with them.
• Lin Feng surveyed the crowded restaurant and street, suspecting the diners were part of the group that had begun following them.

A gang of violent fraudsters stormed the restaurant to confront Lü Yi, whom their injured accomplice blamed for ruining an extortion attempt. The gang’s Fire General and his men advanced on Lü Yi, Lin Feng, and Lawyer Zhou as the diners watched in fear.

• A tattooed thug leading seven or eight men kicked open the restaurant door and intimidated the customers.
• The old extortionist who had pretended to collapse entered with the gang and identified Lü Yi to their leader.
• The chapter explained that the old man and a younger accomplice had brought the Fire General in to take revenge and seek compensation after their unauthorized scam failed.
• The Fire General signaled his men, who spread into a semicircle and advanced on Lü Yi, Lin Feng, and Lawyer Zhou.

Lü Yi mocked the thugs confronting him in the restaurant until their leader ordered them to attack, and Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan tried to defuse the confrontation. The leader demanded money and humiliation from Lü Yi, then threatened him with further violence as the thugs closed in.

• The old man returned with a gang of thugs, and Lü Yi stood up and traded insults with their burly leader.
• Lü Yi bluffed about having powerful connections, then revealed that he worked in Ele.me’s food delivery department, enraging the leader.
• Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan intervened, described Lü Yi as mentally unstable, and apologized on his behalf.
• The burly leader demanded three hundred thousand in cash, required Lü Yi to kowtow to the gang, and threatened to pull out two of his front teeth.
• Lawyer Zhou tried to negotiate, but the leader insisted that Lü Yi kowtow and choose between losing his teeth or a finger.

Lin Feng used a staged signal to unleash his deathsworn agents on the thugs who had threatened him, Lawyer Zhou, and Lü Yi. The attackers were subdued, and Lin Feng instructed Lawyer Zhou to report the incident as an act of self-defense by concerned citizens.

• Lin Feng slammed the table and challenged the leading thug, provoking him to charge with a baseball bat.
• A supposedly cowardly customer struck the leading thug from behind with a beer bottle, starting the ambush.
• Lin Feng's agents, disguised as restaurant customers and workers, attacked the thugs with improvised weapons while Lü Yi threw the old man to the floor and beat him.
• Lin Feng revealed that he had assembled the agents through the consciousness network and that his talk of broad daylight had been their signal to attack.
• Lin Feng told Lawyer Zhou to call the police and report that a fraud ring had attacked them before concerned citizens subdued the thugs.
• The agents stopped fighting, tidied the restaurant, and acted like ordinary citizens shaken by the violence.

Police arrived after Lin Feng and the others subdued an armed gang, and investigators initially viewed the incident as self-defense. After four attackers were assessed as having second-degree minor injuries, the branch deputy chief ordered the case transferred to the municipal bureau’s criminal investigation detachment.

• Officer Wang and his partner arrived at Old Chen's Homestyle Cooking and found the injured attackers surrounded by the people who had fought them.
• Police and paramedics secured the scene, treated the wounded, and took Lin Feng, Lawyer Zhou, Lü Yi, the deathsworn, and the other diners to the station for questioning.
• Lawyer Zhou, Lü Yi, and the other witnesses described how an armed fraud gang had attacked first, while shop footage partly supported their accounts.
• Hospital assessments found that four of the eight attackers had sustained second-degree minor injuries, complicating the self-defense investigation.
• Captain Liu reviewed the evidence and reported the case to the deputy chief, who directed him to compile the materials and transfer the case to the municipal bureau's criminal investigation detachment.

Deputy Director Li transferred Old Chen's sensitive self-defense case to the municipal bureau after discreetly alerting Deputy Director Zhao that the blows may have been excessive. The municipal bureau took charge of the crowded case handover and began a thorough investigation.

• Deputy Director Li called Deputy Director Zhao and arranged to transfer the case and everyone involved to the municipal bureau.
• Deputy Director Li ordered Captain Liu to deliver the evidence, surveillance footage, files, and people involved that afternoon.
• Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang were shocked when seven police vehicles arrived carrying nearly thirty people, including Lin Feng, Lawyer Zhou, Lü Yi, and the deathsworn.
• Deputy Director Zhao reviewed the injury report and saw that four people had suffered second-degree minor injuries.
• Deputy Director Zhao ordered a special task force to take statements again and carefully examine the evidence and surveillance footage.

Lin Feng and Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan gave statements about the street extortion and the armed attack at Old Chen's Homestyle Cooking. Zhou framed the incident as a gang's retaliatory attack, and the investigators began probing Lü Yi's role in the restaurant confrontation.

• Lin Feng calmly recounted how he and his companions intervened in the extortion and were later attacked at the restaurant.
• Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan told Officers Wang and Li that Lü Yi had used nonlethal force to free Lin Nuannuan, while he and Lin Feng had not touched the elderly man.
• Zhou explained that they ate nearby because they thought the extortion had ended and did not know the elderly man belonged to a gang.
• Zhou described seven or eight armed people entering Old Chen's and heading directly for their table, with the elderly man among them pointing them out.
• Officer Wang recorded Zhou's characterization of the incident as gang retaliation, and Officer Li pressed him about Lü Yi's conduct.

Lawyer Zhou gave the detectives a detailed legal account of the restaurant fight, acknowledging Lü Yi’s provocative words while arguing that he had tried to avoid the armed attackers. He framed the others’ violence as unlawful infringement and the defenders’ actions as justifiable defense, leaving Officer Wang and Officer Li impressed by how thoroughly he had built the case.

• Lawyer Zhou recounted Lü Yi’s strange remarks and conceded that they could be considered verbal provocation.
• He told Officer Wang and Officer Li that Lü Yi had diagnosed bipolar disorder and argued that his words did not justify the other side’s violence.
• Lawyer Zhou cited surveillance footage to argue that Lü Yi had tried to retreat while armed attackers threatened and approached him.
• He characterized the beer-bottle attack on the leader as an emergency act of justifiable defense to stop an imminent assault on Lin Feng.
• He described the two young diners who joined the fight as strangers acting bravely to stop unlawful violence.
• After Lawyer Zhou finished, Officer Wang and Officer Li remarked that his organized legal reasoning nearly resembled a case-closure report.