In the back of the Toyota SUV, Gong Jun saw his wife, Zhang Shengnan, whom he hadn't seen in a month.

Though only a month had passed, it felt like a century; Gong Jun had slimmed down from chubby to thin, and the petite Zhang Shengnan was now nothing but skin and bones. Both were disheveled; Gong Jun’s stubble was long enough for a supporting role actor in Hengdian, and Zhang Shengnan should have been renamed "Dirty Shengnan"—her long hair was like tangled weeds, already colonized by lice.

The couple dared not embrace and weep, yet the tears refused to stop flowing. Their fingers intertwined, resembling survivors reuniting after a cataclysm.

“You stole the funding for the Liangshan Reservoir dam, too, didn’t you?” the young man in the suit asked, motioning the driver to proceed, while turning back to say, “I really should have kept you locked up for a few more months. If I didn't have a job for you, you wouldn't see daylight before year’s end.”

Gong Jun and Zhang Shengnan exchanged glances, their hearts filled with both fear and apprehension. However, having endured a month of hellish existence, neither wished to return to that wretched place.

The other party needed their services, which clearly meant their skill for penetrating walls was the only thing they possessed of value. Given the other party’s omniscient reach, refusal or escape were both dead ends. Their only path now was compliant cooperation, striving to perform well enough to earn their captor’s satisfaction and mercy.

The SUV quickly drove into the city, stopping before the side entrance of a four-star hotel. It was late at night, and few people were around. Carrying the manila envelopes containing their personal belongings from before their imprisonment, Gong Jun and Zhang Shengnan followed the suited man into the hotel.

The hotel’s ante-room was deserted. The suited man took them directly to the elevator and upstairs. They didn't see a single soul until they were inside their assigned room.

“You two take a shower, eat something, and wear the pajamas provided here. Do not use the telephone. Someone will see you in an hour.”

After issuing these instructions, the suited man left, abandoning the couple in the luxurious two-bedroom suite.

During that hour, the two cried countless times. The grime on their bodies was too thick; constrained by time, they couldn't wash it all away. In the past month, Gong Jun had only managed to defecate three times; now, finally relieved of most of the internal pressure, he realized he had eaten too little to produce anything more.

On the dining table were several fast-food items. Having not tasted a drop of grease in a month, the couple feared upsetting their systems and refrained from gorging themselves, each consuming only a burger and some milk before stopping. As Gong Jun gave Zhang Shengnan a wry smile, revealing a gap where a tooth was missing, she was moved to tears again by the sight.

...

“Those two are truly pitiful.”

In another room, Siyuan watched their every move on the surveillance monitor and felt a pang of sympathy.

Even Wang Zhuo felt a touch of sorrow in his heart and turned to ask Wang Zhengdao, “Were you treated that miserably back then?”

“How could that be?” Wang Zhengdao scoffed lightly. “Your father is a doctor. Even if I wasn’t treated like royalty inside, I would have received some consideration. The boss of our block was an aggravated murderer who had some rapport with your Uncle Daozi; he was willing to give me face.”

“I think I’ve seen that person,” Siyuan suddenly interjected. “Isn’t he the one playing the murderer in your new film?”

Wang Zhengdao chuckled dryly, “He’s good at playing that role because he has personal experience.”

Truly making the best use of talent... Wang Zhuo stood up speechlessly and said to Siyuan, “Wait here for a moment, I’ll go chat with them.”

This four-star hotel was one of the properties Wang Zhuo had acquired in recent years. Its business was lukewarm, barely breaking even, but the soaring property values had netted him a significant profit. However, this money wasn't even pocket change to him; if it weren't needed for today’s purpose, he would have forgotten he even owned such a hotel.

From the moment Gong Jun and Zhang Shengnan left their home in Guangzhou, the couple had vanished from the face of the earth. In the period that followed, they were preparing to steal Wang Zhuo’s jade; after failing, they were locked up in prison for a month. No one knew where they were or what they did during that time, nor did anyone know they were about to be dispatched by Wang Zhuo.

Of course, if someone truly intended to investigate, they might find faint traces, but given Wang Zhuo's status and means, preventing such occurrences was entirely feasible.

When Wang Zhuo and his son entered the suite, Gong Jun and Zhang Shengnan were busy picking lice out of each other's hair. Gong Jun had wanted his wife to shave his head with a razor, but Zhang Shengnan felt it was better to decide based on the situation, as she didn't yet know what they might be asked to do for the man.

Hearing the door, the couple nervously stood up and emerged from the dining area. Upon seeing Wang Zhuo, their hearts jumped; they hadn't expected such an important figure to be the one meeting them.

“Sit down,” Wang Zhuo said casually, waving his hand as he and Wang Zhengdao sat on the sofa, getting straight to the point. “You’ve suffered a great deal, haven’t you? Do you hate me?”

“We wouldn’t dare hate you…” Gong Jun replied sheepishly, standing beside Zhang Shengnan, visibly uneasy.

“A good answer. Being honest is better than lying,” Wang Zhengdao chuckled. “He told you to sit, so sit down. It’s easier to discuss matters once you’re seated.”

“You should actually be thanking me,” Wang Zhuo stated calmly after they were seated. “If I had handed you over to the police instead of dealing with you this way, you know how many years your crimes would carry, don’t you?”

The couple nodded involuntarily. After being locked up for a month, they understood the inner workings of that system too well. If they had truly been turned over to the police, countless unsolved cases would have been falsely pinned on them, and under all sorts of ‘hospitality,’ they wouldn’t be able to deny anything. They’d be financially ruined, and a stint of five or eight years would be standard.

One month was already agonizing; five or eight years—it was questionable if they’d survive whole.

Wang Zhuo observed them and snorted, “Frankly, I don’t much care that you stole from me. If you had stolen from corrupt officials, I would have applauded you. But you used the stolen money yourselves, instead of redistributing wealth to the poor. Furthermore, you even stole funding meant for Project Hope and water conservancy projects—that nature of crime I cannot tolerate.”

The two murmured submissively, daring not to speak further. The public often nicknamed Wang Zhuo "Charity Wang." Although the nickname sometimes mocked him for acting prematurely mature by engaging in philanthropy at such a young age, the moniker wasn't given lightly; it truly reflected the many good deeds this 'Human King' had sincerely performed.

“I want to give you a chance to redeem yourselves, but can I trust you?” Wang Zhuo asked mildly.

“Yes, yes!” Zhang Shengnan quickly affirmed. “We guarantee it. We will do exactly as you arrange, whatever we can manage, anything at all!”

Gong Jun nodded like a chicken pecking grain. The issue wasn't about redemption; it was sheer coercion—they couldn't refuse.

“You two are truly talents,” Wang Zhengdao chuckled slyly. “I know fifty, if not a hundred, people who can penetrate walls, and many who are highly skilled, but compared to you, they fall short. Unfortunately, being seamless is also a flaw. Once all the cold-case burglaries across the country in recent years with no leads were compared, your past crimes were uncovered.”

Gong Jun smiled wryly and nodded; Zhang Shengnan also looked embarrassed. They had been master thieves for ten years, employing high-tech methods, meticulous planning, and cautious execution. How could they not understand the logic behind criminal detection? Yet, even now, they couldn't figure out why Wang Zhuo had appeared in their home silently and invisibly on the day of the incident, having already set up external coordination for Gong Jun’s capture. Where exactly had they exposed themselves to him? The couple truly couldn't fathom it.

It wasn't their fault, really. Wang Zhuo’s special abilities gave him a reaction when someone spied on him. Back when Gong Jun and Zhang Shengnan were scouting the premises of Shangdong Celebrity with binoculars, they had observed Wang Zhuo’s movements and daily life twice. This was tantamount to exposing themselves to Wang Zhuo. Wang Zhuo remained outwardly unperturbed but used his X-ray vision to lock onto them in reverse. After monitoring them for only half a day, he gleaned their entire operational plan from their conversations.

Just like Siyuan’s hacking skills, wall penetration was a unique ability. If Gong Jun and Zhang Shengnan had been ordinary petty thieves, Wang Zhuo would have simply handed them over to Yuanye to deal with. But since these two possessed such high skill, Wang Zhuo couldn't help but form other ideas, such as dealing with officials with whom he had grievances.

“You two rest for a few days, recover your synergy, and we’ll discuss the mission later,” Wang Zhuo said, standing up. “This is my father; you two should have more in common. I’ll be going now.”

Wang Zhengdao indeed had common ground with the couple. Moreover, he was an expert in restoring the health of ex-convicts. The Gong couple had only spent a month in solitary confinement, whereas he had served several years of wrongful imprisonment; he knew the filth inside out.

When Wang Zhuo returned to his previous room, Siyuan was shaking with laughter, and Bailu, who had just woken up, sat beside her, also covering her mouth with a flushed smile.

“What’s so hilarious?” he asked curiously.

Siyuan doubled over laughing, “Uncle Wang asked if that man had ever been an**-f**ked inside, and the man replied that he had hemorrhoids...”

Wang Zhuo froze for a moment, then burst out laughing good-naturedly. That irreverent old man, Wang Zhengdao, knowing Siyuan was watching the monitors, had asked such a vulgar question! He was completely unreliable!

“Instructor Wang, if he hadn't had that condition, would he really have been an**-f**ked?” Siyuan asked with a grin.

Wang Zhuo rolled his eyes, thinking, How would I know? but quipped verbally, “Yes, why not? Not only an**-f**ked, but after this whole month, his ** would have been spread open like a sunflower!”

The analogies involving the ** and sunflowers, white fungus and black fungus, had long become common knowledge; even a young girl like Siyuan understood the implication. Hearing Wang Zhuo’s teasing, Siyuan immediately turned to Bailu beside her, her smile full of playful mockery, causing little sister Bai Lu to blush furiously.