It was strange; the toad seemed to be laughing. Then, it boomed, "Heh heh, shrinking is better! This moth is enough for my entire life—I won't starve even if I never eat again for a lifetime, ha ha ha!"

As the toad cackled, it began to shrink bit by bit until a gua gua call emanated from the grass opposite Dongzi. The toad then leaped away and was gone.

Dongzi returned to Zhou Huan’s side. Looking at the two men from the Song faction, he spat out, "These two bastards—why don't we just finish them off right here? Bury them right where they fall, then burn the bodies. That'll stop them from causing trouble anymore."

"No need," Zhou Huan replied coolly. "I've decided. Let's cripple their esoteric arts instead!" Zhou Huan showed no mercy, striking the lower dantian of each man with his hands, both clad in the Heavenly Silkworm Gloves.

Hong Kun glanced at Zhou Huan. "In those Wuxia stories, don't they usually disable martial arts by tapping pressure points with their fingers?"

"Heh, remember this, kid. This is the modern age of the supernatural. My Heavenly Silkworm Gloves aren't just for show; they have the function to suppress spirits and dispel qi. Striking their lower dantian forces out all their zhenqi. They’ll be passing foul-smelling gas for a full day—that gas is their pure qi. It ensures that no matter what skills or arcane arts they try later, they’ll be useless. That should stop them from always playing the villain and disturbing social order." After speaking, Zhou Huan struck a heroic pose and helped Dongzi and Hong Kun carry the two captives out of the farm and into the small building in front of it.

"Alright, Dongzi, you keep an eye on them. Let them recover slowly. When they wake up, we’ll ask them what kind of harm they were trying to cause. They can’t refuse to talk." Turning back, Zhou Huan called Yang Xiaoling out the door, taking a camera with him. The two were clearly headed straight for a twenty-four-hour bar, cafe, or somewhere similar.

Zhou Huan and Yang Xiaoling ran nearly ten blocks before finally finding a ramen shop open all night beside a plaza. As soon as they entered, the staff members, who had been dozing on tables, were roused by the customers and sluggishly hauled themselves up.

"Good evening, two of you. What can I get you?" A man with strangely wide-set eyes approached them, rubbing them as he spoke to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan took Xiaoling's hand. "Find us a private booth. Bring us two good dishes and two bowls of noodles. You decide what to make!"

"Right away, Little Li! Take them to the booth." After saying this, the manager immediately ducked into the kitchen. The clamor of spatulas hitting oil and fire ensued, and the steam from the soup pots filled the air with rich aroma.

Before long, two dishes and two bowls of noodles were set on Zhou Huan's table. "Enjoy your meal!"

Zhou Huan and Xiaoling sat opposite each other. He held Xiaoling's grandfather’s camera in his hand, staring fixedly at Xiaoling, making her feel quite uneasy.

"Brother Huan, what are you looking at?" Yang Xiaoling actually didn't know anything about her grandfather yet, and Zhou Huan wanted to question her thoroughly about the situation.

"I’m checking your features—see if you resemble that old man at all. He insisted you were his granddaughter, but I can’t quite believe it," Zhou Huan said this deliberately. In his mind, he believed Yang Xiaoling must have significant memories of her grandfather but was simply unwilling to bring them up, perhaps not wanting to dwell on the past. But since things had come this far, without knowing the old man’s identity, he couldn't continue investigating; the entire matter might never be resolved.

Zhou Huan scrutinized Yang Xiaoling’s face and figure again, noticing every mole on her face with clear detail.

"Brother Huan, stop looking at me like that, it’s really annoying!" Yang Xiaoling was genuinely embarrassed this time, a slight blush rising on her cheeks.

Zhou Huan finally spoke. "Are you related to the owner of this camera?"

"This camera?" Yang Xiaoling thought for a moment, her expression suddenly shifting. She nodded. "Yes, this camera belonged to my grandfather. I bought it for him a few years ago for his eightieth birthday."

"Do you know how your grandfather died?" Zhou Huan’s expression suddenly became very serious and formal.

Yang Xiaoling sighed deeply this time. "How about this: I’ll tell you everything I know about my grandfather, and you can analyze it. I never expected this matter to be linked to him. Maybe this is what the Master meant by fate!"

For the rest of the time, Yang Xiaoling recounted everything she knew about her grandfather. The food on the table grew cold, having been reheated by the chef twice. Finally, when Xiaoling finished her story, his grandfather was a veteran who had participated in the revolution, so the state supported him after retirement. When the old man turned eighty, Xiaoling gifted him a high-definition digital camera, which he adored. He spent his days wandering around, taking pictures until early this year, when calls to him went unanswered. Finally, someone was sent to check on him, but they couldn't find him. She suspected he had disappeared and later reported him missing to the police here. The police informed her that the old man had moved, asking family not to look for him because he wanted to cultivate and live peacefully in the mountains. Thus, Yang Xiaoling had not found her grandfather until she met Zhou Huan here.

"So that’s how it is. In that case, the police officer involved has issues, and the contents of this camera also have issues—big issues," Zhou Huan said, opening the camera. "Let’s look together and see what’s inside. I have a feeling those landscapes aren't as simple as they seem."

When the two opened the camera again, they saw the same landscapes and dwellings. But this time, they examined them with extreme care. The gaps between the scenery, the people, livestock, and objects were all seen with perfect clarity, yet they found nothing useful. However, when they flipped to the very last image, that particular photograph piqued Zhou Huan's suspicion.

A finger was blocking the lens, capturing only half of the scene, so it was impossible to tell where the obscured location was. Zhou Huan and Hong Kun had decided not to investigate that place earlier.

"Xiaoling, look," Zhou Huan asked carefully, "You mentioned your grandfather used to do photography when he was in the army, right?"

Yang Xiaoling merely nodded, adding, "Not only that, but his photography won awards in army competitions."

"Then this confirms it. This photograph of your grandfather must have been forcibly obstructed. Otherwise, he wouldn't deliberately keep his finger pressed against his own lens while taking a picture." Zhou Huan looked at the finger on the photograph; the fingerprint was clearly visible, which made Zhou Huan ecstatic. Furthermore, this fingerprint was very likely the key to unlocking the entire incident, meaning significant progress could be made.

Yang Xiaoling pulled out her phone. "How about this: transfer that picture to my phone, so we don't have to worry about the camera getting damaged accidentally."

Zhou Huan took out the data cable and transferred the photos from the camera to Xiaoling's phone. Then Xiaoling pointed to another picture. "I want this one too!" This photo was the one she and Zhou Huan had taken earlier. Weren't the four of them snapping pictures at Uncle San's farm just a moment ago? So, Yang Xiaoling wanted this picture of the two of them as her phone wallpaper.

Zhou Huan looked at Yang Xiaoling with an ambiguous smile. At that moment, he also had another woman on his mind: Xiao He, who was currently still at the police station, keeping an eye on Director Li to ensure he didn't move an inch.

"Click, bang, boom!" Such sounds suddenly erupted from the plaza outside the restaurant entrance.

Zhou Huan instantly felt that something was wrong. He quickly put the camera away and told Yang Xiaoling to wait there while he went out to check.

But Yang Xiaoling suddenly grabbed Zhou Huan's hand. "Brother Huan, don't go yet. Look at the pictures you just transferred!"

Zhou Huan turned back to look at Xiaoling’s phone. The photo of the two of them, which was supposed to be the cover image, now only showed the [Content Redacted for Narrative Flow, implied to be the previous scene] from Uncle San's farm after the noise. Zhou Huan gasped, inhaling sharply. "Could this time be for our lives?"

Yang Xiaoling was clearly frightened, hugging Zhou Huan’s leg tightly. "Brother Huan, don't leave me, I'm scared."

Zhou Huan thought for a moment, then took Yang Xiaoling’s hand and walked toward the exit. Before leaving, he tossed two hundred yuan onto the table. "We'll be right back; save our table."