"Tree frogs, or perhaps chorus frogs, toads—this is the solution I devised after thinking all night. I'll raise a whole den of toads; they devour moths better than anything. Let's see what those Song faction members use to fight me then," Dongzi declared with smug satisfaction, as if victory was already assured.

Tianxiong leaned in toward Zhou Huan. "Sister Xiaohe called yesterday. She said we should find a time to bring her the item. I didn't quite grasp what she meant—what item does she want, Master?"

"I know. She wants us to take the evidence to her. But I feel now is not the right time. Here’s the plan: Tianxiong, go to the police station later and find Xiaohe. Tell her you're from the Provincial Department with urgent matters. Find a moment to tell her we are going all out collecting evidence, and the truth will surely come out."

After hearing Zhou Huan's instructions, Tianxiong turned and left, hailing a cab immediately.

Zhou Huan and Hong Kun found a spot and collapsed into sleep; after working all night, they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer. Xiaoling watched over Zhou Huan. Dongzi headed to the market, inquiring everywhere about where to buy toads. He finally found a farm selling them. Excited, Dongzi took a taxi there and entered the premises after getting out.

"Sir, how many toads are you looking to acquire?" A heavily wrinkled old man, whose gums were bare save for a few remaining stumps of teeth, bowed slightly to greet Dongzi.

Dongzi was rather bold, demanding a hundred on the spot. He continued, "One hundred is just a start. If I raise them well, I’ll need many more. Price isn't an issue, but there's one condition: these toads must eat flying insects, especially those moths. If they perform well, I can offer double the price per toad."

"Oh, you are my god of wealth! No problem, sir. You can pick any toad here; these are all experts at eating pests. How about I catch a few moths and put them in for you right now so you can see them eat?" The old man grinned, revealing his toothless gums and speaking with a pronounced lisp.

Dongzi narrowed his small eyes and said, "Old man, how about this: first, pack me up about ten or twenty toads. I'll take them now and bring you the money later."

Dongzi’s request left the old man both amused and exasperated. Was this man a god of wealth or a bankrupting ghost? He should be bringing money to buy, not promising to return with it later.

"Uh, sir, you didn't bring any money?" the old man asked Dongzi.

Dongzi smiled. "I didn't bring much. I'm afraid the cash I have on me is only enough for one. But I need to pick a good one for an experiment back home. If it works out, I’ll come back for a large batch. How does that sound?"

The old man finally understood. "Oh, so you only came to buy one? Then why drag me all the way in here? Get out." As he spoke, the old man began pushing Dongzi towards the exit while muttering curses. "I've seen people dine and dash before, but never someone trying to dine and dash on toads!"

Normally, Dongzi would have lashed out after being cursed at like that, but today was strange. He didn't get angry at the old man's tirade. Instead, he turned back and said, "Uncle, Uncle, I just want to do an experiment. If the test succeeds, forget just buying your toads; I might just buy your whole dilapidated farm."

"Stop talking nonsense! I think there must be something wrong with your head. You can't even blurt out a convincing lie, let alone boast about buying my farm when you haven't even bought one toad yet! From the moment you arrived, I knew you weren't wealthy. Buy some or get lost, don't waste my sleeping time." Saying this, the old man shoved Dongzi outside the farm gate and promptly locked it.

Just then, a young man appeared near the farm. "Third Uncle, who is this?"

"Him? He has no money but wants to take my toads! Don't you think he’s sick?" The old man’s speech was so slurred it was difficult to make out what he was saying.

The newcomer had a sinister look; one glance told you he wasn't good news. Hearing what his so-called "Third Uncle" said, the young man swaggered up to Dongzi, lightly touching Dongzi’s clothes to straighten them. "Little eyes, move along quickly. You can’t afford the toads here. Don't cause trouble, or I'll physically throw you out!" The newcomer's tone was aggressively menacing, practically guaranteeing a beating.

Dongzi didn't care who the man was. He threw a punch, followed by a kick. The young man instantly crumpled to the ground, unable to rise, his previous bravado completely gone.

"Brother, which path are you walking? What are you doing here?" Even after being taken down, the young man was trying to probe Dongzi's background.

Dongzi squinted, crouched down, grabbed the young man by the collar, and snarled, "Kid, remember this: my name is Lin Dongzi. I’m here today to buy toads. I want one right now, and you'll get it for me immediately."

While Dongzi was disciplining the youngster, the old man had already hidden behind a large tree outside the farm. Witnessing Dongzi’s swift and sharp actions, the old man was terrified—he had likely wet himself.

"Old man, why hide so far away? I don't hit the elderly. Hurry up and open the door so I can pick a good toad for my experiment. If it works, I'll be back tomorrow." As soon as Dongzi finished speaking, the old man, trembling, fumbled with the key, urine still visibly dampening his crotch area. He finally unlocked the door and stammered, "Great hero, valiant one... please don't hit me. I'm old and can't take a beating. I'll go in right now to catch a toad for you." The old man gripped the doorframe for support as he shuffled into the farm. After a short while, he returned with a cage containing a toad that looked remarkably robust.

Dongzi kept his eyes fixed on the young man standing by the entrance; he wouldn't let him leave until the transaction was complete. The old man handed the toad cage to Dongzi. As Dongzi turned to leave with the cage, the young man suddenly scrambled up from the ground, pulling a knife and lunging straight for Dongzi’s back.

Dongzi, tempered by combat, reacted instantly to the sound behind him. He spun around, delivering a kick and an elbow strike directly to the young man’s neck. The attacker collapsed, foam bubbling at his mouth.

"Old man, give him some water later, and when he wakes up, have him drink lots of vinegar; he’ll be fine by morning. Tell him, Grandpa is coming back tomorrow, and I won't bring a single extra person. If he wants to find backup, he should gather as many as he can." Dongzi swayed slightly as he walked out of the farm, as if nothing extraordinary had happened, and hailed a cab back to the hotel.

As Dongzi entered the hotel, Zhou Huan was already sitting on the bed, meticulously examining the recovered camera. Dongzi tossed the cage onto the bed for Zhou Huan to see. "Brother, look at this thing. I’m trying to figure out some kind of incantation to make it eat that shape-shifting, demonic meat bun."

"Dongzi, it’s rare that you can think things through to this level. Go ahead with your experiment. I need to deal with my own stuff." As Zhou Huan spoke, Xiaoling found the toad in the cage amusing and took it to play with.

"Brother, why are you studying this camera here?" Dongzi was completely unaware of the whole chain of events. Zhou Huan's current focus on the camera and suspicion of the people in the photos was still just a theory. Moreover, facing the challenge from the Song faction and needing to investigate the corpses in the morgue left Zhou Huan feeling uncertain.

So, Zhou Huan replied, "This is the only clue we have right now. If we don't look closely at these clues quickly, we are in big trouble. Many more people will die tomorrow." As he spoke, Zhou Huan opened the back cover of the camera, removed the memory card, inserted it into his phone, and began scrolling through the pictures one by one. Curiously, most of the photos seemed to be of meetings or natural scenery. Zhou Huan recognized the scenery as Old Baldy Mountain. The people in the meeting photos were all from the Public Security Bureau, interspersed with pictures of roadside flowerbeds.

"Master, what good are these photos?" Hong Kun asked Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan shook his head. "Strange. There’s nothing overtly suspicious in these photos, mostly just dry scenery. They don't seem relevant to the whole case."

"Then why did that Old Soul keep telling us to look at this camera?" Hong Kun leaned in to ask.

Zhou Huan pondered deeply for a long time before finally saying, "I think we need to visit all these locations. We might find some revelation, or perhaps further evidence."