The sudden burst of the camera flash made Zhou Huan and Xiao He a little uncomfortable, as they couldn't fathom why any reporters would be taking pictures at this hour. However, Zhou Huan didn't dwell on it; he handcuffed the two men and settled them into the car before slowly driving toward the local police station.

"Click!" As Zhou Huan’s car cleared the hotel entrance, the flash behind them ignited twice more, startling Zhou Huan so much his wheels almost wobbled. He whipped his head around, but there was absolutely nothing behind him.

"Brother Huan, what's going on?" Xiao He was genuinely unsettled and voiced her concern to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan was equally perplexed, deciding only to table the issue for later: "Let's get these two sent to the Public Security organ first, and we'll discuss this matter when we get back."

"Right. I need to handle some liaison work anyway. We can knock everything out tonight and save ourselves another trip tomorrow," Xiao He, reluctant to leave Zhou Huan's side even for a moment, was always finding excuses to minimize her time away.

Zhou Huan offered a slight smile: "No problem there. The thing is, those two clowns absolutely wrecked my ignition circuit, so we can't turn the engine off; if it stalls, it won't restart."

The two thieves never imagined they'd fall into the hands of Zhou Huan and Xiao He, nor that their petty thievery would lead them to such a sharp end. They were actively contemplating an escape from the car, but they couldn't shake off Xiao He in the back seat. Running wouldn't be easy; after all, Xiao He was a police officer, and one who was known to fight tooth and nail.

Zhou Huan and Xiao He delivered the two men to the local Public Security organ without incident. Xiao He made a phone call and headed upstairs to handle her liaison duties, while Zhou Huan opened up the car's entire electrical system, tinkering with it piece by piece.

"Where is Master Zhou now?" A voice echoed from the main entrance of the local police bureau.

The next voice heard was Xiao He’s: "He’s just outside fixing the car. Those two damaged our vehicle; honestly, he has to repair it himself."

"Oh, Master Zhou is truly gifted! You two are a perfect match—one is the pride of the police force, and the other is a master-level figure. Splendid!" By the time the two people approached, Zhou Huan was deeply engrossed in his repairs, completely oblivious to the small talk happening behind him.

The police bureau official stepped up to Zhou Huan, cautiously glancing at him before speaking softly: "Master Zhou, still busy? How about I find someone here to help you with the repairs? We can go upstairs and chat for a bit?"

Seeing Zhou Huan so focused, Xiao He moved closer, opened the car door, and said, "Brother Huan, stop fixing it for now. They’ve found someone to look at it for us; let's go upstairs and discuss things."

Zhou Huan carefully lifted his head, observed the person standing outside, and curled his lips: "Really, I just wanted to examine it myself for a while. Fine, let's go upstairs." He then pulled out the car keys, turned, and tossed them to the official who had come out: "Thanks, big brother. Here are the keys for now; let's talk upstairs."

"Ah, excellent! Truly, Master Zhou’s demeanor is extraordinary; that's not a look just anyone can pull off." This fellow was first-rate at flattery.

His words amused Zhou Huan to no end: "If you say so, is there something wrong with the way I look?"

"Not at all, Master Zhou's appearance is akin to a deity descending from heaven, possessing the bearing of a great general." The flatterer kept exaggerating, and Zhou Huan, losing his patience slightly, merely offered a faint smile and turned to follow Xiao He upstairs.

The police bureau man arranged for someone to fix the car for Zhou Huan, then placed the keys on the vehicle before hurrying upstairs after Zhou Huan and Xiao He. Upon arriving on the upper floor, he led the pair directly into the archives room, where a girl, looking to be around twenty-four or twenty-five, was already searching through files on the shelving units.

"Little sister, have you found the file I asked for earlier?" the official called out to the girl as soon as he entered.

"Not yet. I’m sure it was right here; perhaps someone else took it," the girl replied, taking up the conversation.

Xiao He interjected: "Director Li, if it’s proving difficult to locate, perhaps we can discuss this tomorrow?"

"Indeed, Brother Li. Look, even our guests who traveled from afar agree. Why don’t we look tomorrow? It's getting so late; I need to get home to watch my soap opera!" This 'little sister' was clearly a master of shirking work; you wouldn't know she was supposed to be serious just by looking at her demeanor.

"You only love watching those useless dramas! Does watching TV mean you don't have to work? You little scamp, move aside!" A bureau director, no less, was utterly helpless against a mere archives clerk. He had to search for the file himself. It really made one wonder about the atmosphere in this place.

Director Li stepped onto a stool, flipped through a few files on the shelf, pulled out a black, temporary file folder, and slapped it onto the desk: "What is this? I keep telling you to be diligent in your work, and look at you! You can’t even find a document that’s this obvious. I’m truly done with you. You're exactly like your deceased mother—you learn nothing good, only how to indulge!"

"I’m still better than her. Her addiction was mahjong; mine is television. You should just be glad about that," the girl muttered, having had her fill of arguing. She grabbed her bag from a nearby desk, turned to leave, and called back, "Hmph, I’m heading home first. You eat dinner before you go back; I’m eating out."

"Get out!" This director had absolutely no decorum, cursing so openly in front of two guests who had traveled a long way.

"Director Li, this is..." Xiao He started to ask out of concern, but Zhou Huan gently pulled her arm, signaling her to mind her own business.

Director Li stepped down from the stool, still seething, and initially ignored Zhou Huan and Xiao He. He first stepped outside to check on his 'little sister,' then turned back, his expression transforming into one of absolute delight, beaming with a thousand smiles: "Master Zhou, Officer Wang, please forgive this display. That was my daughter just now. Her mother died from exhaustion playing mahjong before the child turned ten, so I spoil her a bit. She's my only child now, no other relatives left. I hope you won't laugh at old Li."

"Not at all. Every family has its own hard story. Let's focus on the important matter now," Zhou Huan cut in.

"That’s right, that’s right. Master Zhou is truly understanding; a master’s bearing and temperament are simply different from others." As he spoke, Director Li handed the file he had just retrieved to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan took the file and opened the first page. It read: "10.31 Homicide Case Investigation Record." The next page stated: "Photographic Record." Zhou Huan flipped to the second page and frowned suddenly: "Director Li, what is going on here? There isn't a single photo record? Didn't anyone even photograph the scene?"

Director Li looked troubled and slightly embarrassed as he spoke: "Master Zhou, that is the crux of the issue, the very reason we called you here. Firstly, the victim's appearance of death cannot be captured in any photograph. Secondly, the scene photographs—after sitting here for a few days, when we looked at them again, every single photo had turned into blank paper. Even the camera’s memory card was wiped clean. Nobody touched anything; it happened overnight."

"Did you investigate further to see if someone deliberately did this?" Xiao He asked Director Li, applying a police officer's logic.

"We considered that and conducted extensive investigations, but nothing yielded results. Because all our evidence was kept in this room, I make sure to check in here every day when no one else is around. After all, my daughter’s case is involved; I can’t just let her keep making mistakes. So, I am certain it is impossible for the evidence to have been deliberately swapped or damaged," Director Li said with total self-assurance, doubting none of his own methods.

While he spoke, Zhou Huan kept his eyes fixed on the director doting on his daughter. He then flipped back through the file to "Cause of Death Unknown!" Upon reading this, Zhou Huan immediately tossed the file aside: "Director Li, it's not me criticizing you, but what am I supposed to look at here? You have an archive with nothing written in it except a title!"

"Oh, Master Zhou, you won't believe me when I tell you. All the photos in this booklet are gone; we can't reshoot them. But the handwritten notes—they’re gone too! Yesterday, in anticipation of your arrival, I specifically filled in all the text on the files. Today, they’re gone too! You can see for yourself; I'm not lying to you, I did write it down," Director Li pleaded, looking utterly innocent.

Zhou Huan blinked and smiled faintly: "It seems this is why you sought us out?"

"Exactly! We’ve consulted many experts about this matter, but they all fled as soon as they saw what happened to the files. There was one fellow who didn't run after reviewing them, but ever since he left here, promising to help solve this bizarre case, he’s never been seen again."

"So, it seems we really have to start handling this from the very beginning," Xiao He concluded, then turned to look at Zhou Huan, who nodded deeply.

Director Li’s face finally broke into a smile, his expression showing excitement: "Master Zhou, Officer Wang, if you can help Old Li wrap this up, I will definitely report your success to my superiors. To be honest, I’m set to retire next year, and I don't want to leave such a bizarre, cold case to the next director. One cold case after another, until it becomes a mystery with no end."

"I agree with your thinking. Alright, tonight, right in front of us, you write a formal statement. I’ll watch, and Master Zhou will be here too. I trust we can secure this in writing this time. We’ll start dealing with your issue tomorrow," Xiao He quickly laid out her plan. Zhou Huan remained silent, which counted as agreement.

Director Li’s face cracked open with joy; his heart was finally at ease. He grabbed paper and pen and began rapidly writing down the entire sequence of events.