Inspector from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau? The unit where my cousin works—looking for me? Zhang Yuanqing felt an instinctive jolt in his heart, about to walk to the bedroom door to eavesdrop, when suddenly he remembered something. He opened his phone, deleted the chat and call records sent to Bingge, then folded Bingge’s letter and placed it beneath the potted plant on the windowsill. Only then did he feel at ease, opening a narrow crack to observe quietly. At the entrance, Grandma didn’t invite the inspector in but stood firmly at the doorway, asking, “What do you need him for?” “We need to ask him a few questions. Here are our credentials,” said a young woman, with a rich, alluring voice. Grandma glanced at the documents briefly, then furrowed her brows and stepped aside. Zhang Yuanqing opened the door at the right moment, observing the inspectors as they entered the living room. The lead investigator wore a black suit with a white shirt and a black vest, holding a staff made of black wood. He had a slender build, a neat, well-groomed crew cut, and a pair of small mustaches. This strong British flair, combined with his mustaches, evoked the image of a well-educated returning scholar from the Republic of China era. To his left stood a young female investigator with a striking, refined appearance—clearly of mixed heritage—her smile warm and her eyes bright and lively. Standing about 175 cm tall, she possessed long, model-like legs. Dressed in a formal suit, her shirt sleeves were tucked into her trousers, accentuating her slender waist and full bust, exuding both elegance and professionalism. The last investigator was reserved, wearing black-framed glasses with slightly disheveled hair, embodying a strong technical and analytical demeanor. "Zhang Yuqing. What brings you all here?" As Zhang Yuqing observed them, the investigators were equally taking in the young man. The mixed-race female investigator smiled warmly. "We're investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. We have a few questions for you—we'd appreciate your cooperation." "Of course..." Zhang Yuanqing guided them to sit on the sofa in the living room. His grandmother served each of the three investigators a cup of water, then looked at her grandson with growing confusion. She couldn't imagine how her lively, sociable, and well-liked grandson—whom she had raised all on her own—would suddenly need investigators from the police bureau to come to her home. The young investigator, with messy hair and a dazed expression, opened his notebook and pen, clicked the cap shut. The man with a well-groomed crew cut sat on the sofa, holding a cane in both hands, and said formally, "Have you ever met Lei Yibing?" Indeed, it was about Yibing—arriving so quickly... Zhang Yuanqing replied truthfully. "We've been close friends since childhood. What's the reason for asking now?" A question flashed through his mind: His cousin was the team leader of the second squad at the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. If these three investigators had come to visit, After all, knowing that the visit is to the family of the head of the second team at the Public Security Bureau, colleagues, shouldn't they just exchange a few words, make a courtesy call? Don't people in the mixed system even understand such basic human relations? Yet there's been absolutely no movement from my brother-in-law—clearly, he's unaware. Otherwise, even if he doesn't come along, he would have called to let him know. "Oh, close friends!" The man lightly tapped his shiny leather shoes, speaking calmly and deliberately. "Here's what happened: Lei Yibing went missing. The Public Security Bureau in Hangzhou, Jiangxi Province, contacted us and said they found that Lei Yibing had sent a parcel the morning before he disappeared, addressed to you." He gazed at Zhang Yuanqing with a deep, still gaze, as if he could see straight through to his soul. "Is that correct?" Zhang Yuanqing looked utterly astonished and confused. "Missing? How could that be possible?" The technical officer taking notes interjected gently. "Just say yes or no." "Yes, just now, I received a package, but the sender's name wasn't written on it. I was wondering who had sent it to me." Zhang Yuanqing nodded seriously. Denying this would be useless—the police could already trace the delivery, and checking the building's surveillance footage would be straightforward. The man with the short, neat hair nodded and asked, "What was inside the package? I hope you can answer truthfully, as this is extremely important to us." At the same time, the grandmother breathed a sigh of relief, yet couldn't help worrying about Lei Yibing. The child had grown up under her care, even though they had moved several times. Zhang Yuan清 replied, "There was nothing inside—it was completely empty." "Empty?" The man with the short, neat hair narrowed his eyes, his gaze—seeming capable of peering into people's souls—intently examining Zhang Yuanqing. Though I lied, the black card has vanished—just like the empty one—and you won't find anything out of the ordinary. Zhang Yuanqing didn't flinch; he met his gaze with sincerity and said, "When I opened the package, I found it empty, containing only the shock-absorbing foam padding. By the way, the package is still in my room. You're welcome to go check it yourself." If the absence of Bing Ge is indeed as he suspected, he would surely want to keep it hidden at first, waiting until his cousin returns home from work before revealing everything. For matters that carry potential risks, it's always safest to discuss them with family members. The man with the short, neat haircut gestured to his female subordinate. She smiled warmly, entered the room, and returned to the living room a moment later, giving a slight nod to her colleague. The man with the short, neat haircut paused thoughtfully, then said, "If it's convenient, we'd like to take a look at your room and your computer. Also, could you please show us your phone?" "The computer checks out, but please don't open the web browsing history or the study materials on the hard drive... Zhang Yuanqing unlocked the phone screen calmly and handed it over without any signs of urgency. The tall, well-groomed man took the phone, while the female investigator reentered the room. Holding the phone in one hand, the man gently swiped with his thumb before returning it to Zhang Yuanqing and then patiently waited. Half an hour later, the female investigator came out with her long, graceful strides, shaking her head this time. The man nodded slightly, speaking warmly, 'Thank you for your cooperation—we'll leave you now.' Zhang Yuanqing quickly asked, 'Could I get some information about Lei Yibing's situation?' This was both genuine and a strategic move to 'cover his tracks'; if he hadn't followed up on his childhood friend's disappearance, it would have seemed suspicious. The man responded patiently, 'Lei Yibing went missing from his dormitory. The hallway cameras didn't capture any footage of him leaving.' According to information provided by a roommate, that night when he went to the bathroom, he still saw Lei Yibing sleeping on the bed. "But by morning, he was gone. Twenty-four hours later, since they couldn't reach him, their counselor notified the university administration, which immediately filed a police report. 'For more detailed information, you'll have to call the local police department.' This matches exactly what Lei uncle said. It seems the local police have made no progress—perhaps this person simply doesn't want to tell me... Zhang Yuanqing nodded: 'I understand.' The well-dressed man walked toward the security door with two subordinates, paused halfway, and turned to say: 'If you find any leads, please keep us informed—never withhold anything from us.' Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to nod, the man smiled with a significant tone: 'Otherwise, the next one to go missing might just be you.' The next one to go missing might just be me? What does he mean by that? Is he threatening me? Why won't you hand over that black card, making me and Brother Bing vanish without a trace? By the way, what exactly happened to that card—just disappeared out of nowhere, and now I can't even manage to get it out. "Thank you for the reminder!" he returned with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Regardless, he'd wait until Brother Cheng came home from work to discuss it further. Cheng surely wouldn't want the card to end up in the hands of the Public Security Bureau; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent the items to him. After all, as close friends and childhood companions, he trusted Cheng wouldn't let him down. The grandmother beside him frowned coldly, saying firmly, "No gift is being sent." What on earth was wrong with this person—how could she be cursing her own grandson so seriously? The well-groomed man smiled and pulled out a business card from his left breast pocket, offering it. "Feel free to reach out to me anytime." After Zhang Yuanqing took the card, he and his two subordinates departed. "Where did Brother Bing go? Oh well, I'll take a moment to visit Brother Bing's mother." said the grandmother, worried, as soon as they were The two had been neighbors for over a decade—frequently seeing each other but rarely getting close—yet still maintained a certain bond. Zhang Yuanqing said, his face weary, “Grandma, I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll go back to my room and rest. If I don’t wake up by noon, just don’t call me. If Grandpa returns, tell him about this and have him get in touch with Uncle Lei.” Guan Ya leaned lazily against the soft chair, her long legs neatly aligned and pressed together. She looked serious, her face grave. "I've made a major discovery." "Go on," Li Dongze said, his tone serious. The back-row engineering guy also shifted his gaze from his phone to look over. Guan Ya spoke with gravity. "That young man is a huge fan of mature, elegant women—his study materials are filled with such profiles—but his trash can is remarkably clean. That's simply unreasonable." "He has a wide social circle, joining many groups, yet he's only active in gaming and LSP groups, and has message filters set for all the others. His room has no entertainment furniture aside from the gaming console—so in reality, he's quite reserved. Oh, by the way, Shizhang, do you know what LSP stands for?" The mixed-race beauty smiled warmly and made a gesture of gently stroking her fingers. The two colleagues stared, momentarily stunned. Li Dongze quickly raised his hand, interrupting with a sharp exclamation. "Oh my God! I just want to kick you right in the back with my boots!" I'm talking to you about serious matters. What are you doing, making all these irrelevant comments? I've reminded you time and again—not to act like a stubborn customer, not to bring up casual, flirty topics. Your habits are quite unrefined and ungraceful." The tall, elegant woman didn't flinch at her furious superior, smiling instead. "Why be so dull? A little humor goes a long way in energizing the atmosphere." She gradually smoothed out her smile. "I didn't find anything suspicious in his computer files, but beneath the potted plant on the windowsill, I discovered a letter from Lei Yibing to him. Lei Yibing has indeed sent him things—normally, it would be character cards. But I'm not sure what kind of role he's portraying." Li Dongze remained silent for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and settled into a meditative posture. "Come back tomorrow. If he hasn't gone missing by then."