Liu Hui was ecstatic upon hearing there was evidence against Guo Jia; he immediately summoned Desheng to the basement to learn the details.

"Boss," Desheng arrived quickly, standing opposite Liu Hui, holding a stack of documents and a laptop.

"Desheng, sit down," Liu Hui invited.

Once seated, Desheng reported, "Boss, you asked us to expedite gathering incriminating evidence against Guo Jia a while back. After months of meticulous investigation, we’ve finally uncovered proof that will ensure Guo Jia has no place left to be buried."

Desheng then handed the documents over to Liu Hui, who opened them to find a compact disc.

"What is this?" Liu Hui asked, puzzled.

"Please watch, Boss." Desheng opened his laptop, inserted the disc, and hit play. A video began showing on the screen.

The footage appeared to be shot from a fixed security camera on a dark street. A woman on an electric bicycle was riding in the non-motorized lane when suddenly a sedan sped out from the side, slamming into her and knocking her to the ground. The woman struggled painfully on the pavement, clearly severely injured. Soon, a man emerged from the offending car. Although the streetlights were dim, the area around the accident was well-lit, clearly revealing the face of the driver who caused the crash on the video.

Liu Hui started, realizing the offending driver was Guo Jia. Guo Jia in the video looked incredibly agitated. When he saw the woman on the ground preparing to note his license plate number, he erupted in rage. He pulled a knife from the car and lunged at the woman. However, Guo Jia’s posture in the video was clumsy and his movements uncoordinated; he ended up stabbing the woman in the arm she raised to defend herself. Seemingly consumed by fury, Guo Jia ignored the woman’s desperate pleas, stabbing her another seven or eight times until she could no longer move, only then stopping with apparent satisfaction.

Then, Guo Jia seemed to regain some clarity. He surveyed his surroundings, quickly climbed back into the car, gave the prone woman not even a second glance, and sped away.

The entire sequence was filmed clearly, the images sharp. The time of the incident was also visible. Guo Jia's image was vivid, even capturing the look of his rage. Needless to say, the license plate number of the car he drove was perfectly visible.

Liu Hui was stunned. Based on the time of the accident, he calculated it must have happened the night Guo Jia returned to the capital after threatening him in Hong Kong and after Elder Wu was killed by Zhou Tengyun. Liu Hui asked, "Desheng, how did you obtain such clear footage?"

Desheng chuckled, "Boss, we’ve been gathering evidence against Guo Jia all this time. However, Guo Jia is meticulous, secretive, and exceptionally cunning; we couldn't find anything useful. Then, by chance, we got a tip. It was a traffic police officer who, while heavily in his cups, couldn't bear the guilt anymore and told a friend that they had found video evidence of Guo Jia committing murder, but after reporting it, the video was immediately confiscated by the superiors sent to investigate, and it disappeared. However, that officer was cautious and secretly made a copy, hiding it at his home. Later, the victim's family approached their department, but their superiors brushed them off, refusing to file a case or inform them that Guo Jia had brutally killed their relative. This officer was young, his sense of justice not entirely extinguished, and he remained troubled by it, eventually leaking the information while drunk to his friend. Once we got the message, we swiftly located him and procured this video from him."

Liu Hui nodded. "Indeed, Heaven's net is vast, though its mesh is wide. Right, has this video been authenticated? Is it real?"

Desheng confirmed, "We've already had experts examine it; this video is absolutely genuine. Furthermore, we utilized the world’s most advanced technology to enhance the clarity, magnifying it so much that even Guo Jia's facial features are discernible."

Liu Hui smiled. "With this video, I’d like to see how Guo Jia intends to die."

Liu Hui had never forgotten the hatred he bore for Guo Jia. He had initially tasked Starry Eyes with monitoring Guo Jia, hoping for a way to deal with him, never expecting Starry Eyes to actually find evidence detrimental to Guo Jia. With this proof, Guo Jia was as good as dead.

Back in Bashan, Guo Jia had used overwhelming influence to force Liu Hui out, and Liu Hui had been powerless then, forced to comply. Later, seeking revenge, Liu Hui had considered simply having Guo Jia eliminated, but that wouldn't satisfy the burning hatred in his heart. So, Liu Hui had been waiting for an opportunity, and now it had finally arrived. He intended to use this chance to utterly ruin Guo Jia through legitimate means—just as Guo Jia favored crushing people with authority, Liu Hui would now crush Guo Jia with overwhelming force. However, the force he would wield would not be the abstract 'authority' Guo Jia often preached about, but the very common citizens of Huaxia whom Guo Jia usually looked down upon.

Suddenly, several articles appeared on the Huaxia internet detailing a traffic accident murder case that had occurred in the capital city months earlier. In that incident, a woman was brutally killed after being run down by a car. Previously, the police claimed they had found no perpetrator, but these articles explicitly named Guo Jia as the killer, even posting his photo and basic information. The articles specifically highlighted that Guo Jia was protected by high-ranking officials.

Propelled by interested parties, these articles went viral the moment they surfaced online. News of Guo Jia savagely murdering an innocent woman spread like wildfire. Almost immediately, people doxed Guo Jia, followed by revelations of his past misdeeds, all pointing toward the presence of a certain high official backing him.

Over the past few years, the mindset of the Chinese populace had gradually shifted. Increasing social inequality, the widening gap in income, and the rampant corruption among officials had fueled deep resentment toward the current administration. Consequently, whenever a heinous incident involving a high official surfaced, the public responded with fervent intensity, wishing to strike down that supposed official and stomp on him. The vehemence of the public’s language regarding such matters astonished even foreign media outlets. In fact, foreign journalists who specialized in smearing Huaxia had become obsolete; all they needed to do was republish news about the dissatisfaction the Chinese populace vented about their own society—news often more damaging than any slanderous articles they had previously written. Against this backdrop, the news of Guo Jia's murder boiled over into a massive uproar.

This storm of information spreading wildly online finally drew the attention of the Guo family. Old Master Guo was furious. He directly leveraged the family’s immense influence, issuing official red-header documents demanding that all major national media outlets and websites delete any news published regarding Guo Jia’s murder. Furthermore, police forces were dispatched across provincial borders to arrest several netizens who had shown extraordinary fervor regarding the incident, attempting to quell the online fervor surrounding Guo Jia.

Next, the Guo family arranged for a press briefing. At this briefing, relevant authorities stepped forward to issue a denial, claiming that a small faction online was inciting trouble and urging people not to be deceived. However, a bold, fresh-faced reporter at the scene asked if the video footage from the accident site could be presented. The officials responded by stating that the accident location was remote and lacked surveillance equipment, thus precluding the provision of any video evidence.

After this press conference concluded, all media reporters published news according to the standardized press release distributed, unanimously beginning to debunk the claims that Guo Jia had massacred a woman, urging the public not to believe it. They also issued warnings to the criminals inciting unrest, advising them to repent before it was too late.

The brazen reporter who demanded to see the site footage was fired upon returning to his newspaper. Unable to cope, he posted a Weibo message questioning the authorities’ claim that no surveillance video existed at the scene. His challenge was immediately backed by netizens, some testifying that surveillance cameras had long been installed on that road, making the authorities' refusal to provide footage illogical.

In response, the authorities posted an explanatory statement on Weibo, admitting that the road indeed did not have cameras installed at that time. They added that, considering practical needs, they had since installed a camera there to prevent similar tragedies—the camera that the netizens had seen was the one installed later.

Yet, even this failed to calm public concern. The current times were strange: anything the government officially denied was believed by the public, as official credibility had been utterly depleted, leaving almost no one to trust them.

The authorities then brought out the victim's family. The family members publicly stated that Guo Jia had nothing to do with the matter. However, the settlement agreement reached between the victim's family and the authorities was quickly posted online. This agreement stipulated that if the family helped the authorities quell the incident, they would receive fifty thousand yuan in compensation, and it even included scripted responses for dealing with reporters.

The publication of this agreement enraged the public further. Coupled with the recent cross-province arrests of several netizens, users across the nation jointly demanded a thorough investigation and that Guo Jia be brought in for questioning.

But the authorities were mysterious, their power formidable. Despite the relentless attacks from netizens nationwide, they remained unmoved, sticking to their original statement.

Then, several photographs suddenly appeared online, clearly showing the entire process of Guo Jia's murder that night. This time, the netizens could not tolerate it, collectively calling for the Central Government to step in and resolve this criminal case.

Soon after, the authorities reappeared. Their "experts" declared that all the photos online were Photoshopped, fake, and an attempt to slander Guo Jia. They reiterated that since no cameras were installed at the scene, such alleged crime scene photos were impossible, urging netizens to remain calm and not be incited by a small group to undermine the overall situation of stability and unity.

As soon as the authorities finished speaking, the internet responded actively. A large, crystal-clear video recording surfaced, clearly showing everything that transpired that night. The authorities were enraged and immediately ordered all major websites to delete the video. Nevertheless, many concerned netizens managed to learn the truth.

After the major websites deleted the video, civilian hacker experts launched a collective assault, hacking into major portals to upload the video to the front page as the headline story, ensuring anyone logging onto the internet would see it immediately. The websites soon regained control and deleted the video again, but the hackers refused to yield, continuing to breach the sites and re-upload the footage. The entire network was thrown into an uproar.

The authorities’ "experts" resurfaced, explaining that the video content was entirely fabricated and digitally synthesized, claiming that domestic traffic camera footage could never achieve such clarity. However, civilian experts immediately countered, using their professional knowledge to analyze the video in detail, proving its authenticity to netizens across the country.

The issue exploded domestically, drawing attention even from several famous international television stations, which began covering the criminal case unfolding in Huaxia. On these programs, renowned experts authenticated the video, unanimously declaring it real, and began questioning the fairness of Huaxia's legal system.

Under this dual pressure, domestic and international, the authorities suffered an unprecedented defeat. Reluctantly, they arrested Guo Jia and awaited the court's verdict. Netizens nationwide cheered their victory, believing the matter was finally resolved satisfactorily under their scrutiny.

However, an unexpected development introduced a new twist. Before Guo Jia’s case could be tried, the final appeal for another case involving rape and murder of two people was underway. There had been an online rumor that this individual, initially sentenced to death in the first trial, would receive a suspended sentence in the final appeal. Everyone had dismissed this rumor as a joke; the crimes of rape and murdering two people, one of them a child, should surely warrant the death penalty.

Yet, when the verdict for that case was actually announced, everyone was stunned: the vicious rapist and murderer indeed received a suspended death sentence. People remembered the earlier online rumor, concluding that the authorities were shameless beyond measure.

The head of the presiding court stepped forward, explaining that the change to a suspended sentence was to embody the value of human life, advocating for caution in execution; otherwise, killing to stop killing would lead to an infinite cycle of hatred, violating social harmony.

Naturally, the leader's words drew unified condemnation from netizens across the country. The more astute connected this case with Guo Jia’s impending trial, suspecting this was setting the stage for Guo Jia’s sentencing. Given the precedent of the rapist and murderer receiving a suspended sentence, Guo Jia’s sentence would certainly be lightened, most likely resulting in a suspended death sentence.

The nationwide outrage peaked. Netizens felt they had been played and demanded a retrial for the heinous rapist/murderer, and that Guo Jia must receive the death penalty. But what shocked them even more occurred in the detention center: Guo Jia requested a physical examination, and the final results revealed he was HIV-positive. Guo Jia immediately applied for medical parole.

Since Guo Jia was now a public figure and his AIDS diagnosis was genuine, the authorities appeared surprisingly democratic this time. They even invited several doctors from the netizen community to consult, much to the utter dismay of the public, who confirmed Guo Jia truly had AIDS. Thus, Guo Jia's medical parole process began, awaiting final approval for immediate release. Moreover, given his status as an AIDS patient, he would never be able to return to prison, meaning if he received a suspended sentence, he could live comfortably outside the prison until his natural death.

Guo Jia was currently held in the detention center, but his treatment was excellent. He occupied a private room, and Old Master Guo had used his connections to arrange several agile bodyguards for him inside. Protected by these men, Guo Jia lived quite comfortably, practically no different from being outside.

Yet, Guo Jia was inwardly furious. When he shamefully fled Hong Kong and went to see the Old Master, he accidentally hit and killed that woman. At the time, he hadn't given it a second thought—it was just one minor citizen he ran over! Couldn't they just settle it with some money? Why the relentless pursuit? Would that woman come back to life if he died? They should consider his background. So, no matter how much the commoners stirred up trouble outside, he would remain comfortable inside; those little people couldn't touch him. Still, being put in a detention center was irritating, so he planned to severely teach those who led the commotion a lesson upon his release, showing them the true meaning of society.

Guo Jia’s medical parole paperwork was being processed. Given the Guo family's power, the approval was almost certain, after which he would have nothing to fear.

One day, bored in the detention center, Guo Jia opened his door and went out for yard time, accompanied by his bodyguards. It was the designated recreation period for inmates. Watching the other prisoners pace listlessly, Guo Jia found it tedious.

At that moment, a stooped, withered old man shuffled toward Guo Jia, but he was immediately blocked by Guo Jia’s bodyguards. The old man called out, "Young Master Guo."

Guo Jia replied curtly, "Who are you?"

One of Guo Jia's bodyguards quickly answered, "He's Zhang Xunyi, a habitual thief who has spent most of his life in prison."

Guo Jia laughed. "Heh, most of his life in prison? I wonder what pleasure his life held. Right, is he married?"

The bodyguard chuckled, "He is, but since he's always locked up, I don't know how his wife managed. In fact, his wife visited him a few days ago; perhaps she finally gave up and came to settle things with him."

After the bodyguard finished speaking, Guo Jia and the others burst into laughter. Prison life was boring, and only dirty jokes like this could pass the time. Zhang Xunyi, watching them laugh, forced an awkward smile.

"Old Zhang, why are you looking for me?" Guo Jia asked with a slight smile, feeling a surge of satisfaction as Zhang Xunyi stood before him meekly.

"Young Master Guo, I’ve been in prison for decades and know a lot about how things run here. You all seem bored, perhaps I could recount some stories to pass the time?" Zhang Xunyi smiled obsequiously.

"Heh, Old Zhang, why are you being so kind as to tell us stories?" one bodyguard asked, laughing.

Zhang Xunyi chuckled foolishly, "Young Master Guo is a man of means. If I manage to amuse you, perhaps you could spare a small reward that would cover my old age."

Guo Jia smiled. "Alright, I am quite bored. Go on. If I enjoy it, I will naturally reward you."

So, Zhang Xunyi began to approach Guo Jia. The bodyguards roared a warning, telling him to stay put. Guo Jia waved his hand, permitting Zhang Xunyi to come closer. Standing on the upper ground, he wasn't afraid of catching germs from Zhang Xunyi. Plus, he was intrigued; he simply let the old man come forward to speak.

Zhang Xunyi shuffled timidly before Guo Jia, his manner so abject that it sent Guo Jia and his bodyguards into peels of laughter.

Zhang Xunyi began, "Let me start from forty years ago, that year..." And so, Guo Jia and his bodyguards settled in to listen intently.

A savage gleam flashed in Zhang Xunyi’s eyes. He lunged forward with alarming speed, tackling Guo Jia to the ground. Then, he opened his mouth and bit down viciously on Guo Jia’s throat, instantly crushing the windpipe. Zhang Xunyi moved like lightning, striking again to sever the carotid artery in Guo Jia’s neck.

It was only then that Guo Jia’s bodyguards reacted. They rushed forward, attempting to pull Zhang Xunyi off, and one bodyguard slammed several heavy blows to Zhang Xunyi’s head, leaving him dazed and disoriented. Yet, drawing on some unknown reservoir of strength, Zhang Xunyi remained plastered onto Guo Jia, tearing several chunks from his face. The bodyguards, desperate, struck with lethal force, snapping Zhang Xunyi’s neck and throwing his corpse aside. Zhang Xunyi landed inert, a piece of flesh still clenched between his teeth, torn from Guo Jia’s face.

At this point, Guo Jia was beyond saving. His windpipe was crushed, his major artery severed, and flesh ripped from his face. The injuries were catastrophic; blood pooled everywhere. He could no longer move, only twitching violently on the floor, clearly moments from death.

The terrified bodyguards frantically contacted the police at the detention center, but by the time the officers arrived, Guo Jia had already breathed his last. In his final moments, Guo Jia could not comprehend it: born into nobility, naturally superior, why was he brought low enough to be imprisoned by common riffraff, only to be killed by the mouth of the most lowly old petty thief?

The news of Guo Jia being bitten to death in custody instantly exploded online. Some diligent individuals dug up Zhang Xunyi’s background, discovering that he was the distant maternal uncle of the girl Guo Jia had brutally murdered. Although the uncle was a failure, a lifelong pickpocket, he had deeply loved his young cousin. Thus, he chose to exact a vicious revenge from within the prison walls.

The masses sighed in shared sentiment. The Guo family possessed immense wealth and power; Guo Jia could have been quickly bailed out after committing murder, insurmountable even against nationwide opposition. Yet, he ultimately perished at the hands of a low-grade old thief. This perfectly fulfilled the ancient saying: Good deeds are rewarded, evil deeds are repaid. It is not that retribution is absent, only that the time has not yet come; when the time arrives, escape becomes impossible.

At the headquarters of Starry Sky Group, Desheng briefed Liu Hui on the operation’s success: “…We intervened at the critical moment, mobilizing the power of domestic netizens, releasing evidence in stages, catching the relevant departments completely off guard, and forcing them, under pressure, to send Guo Jia to the detention center. We fully anticipated the Guo family’s influence and knew they would secure his release. Therefore, we located Zhang Xunyi’s wife and used her to pass a message to him. Zhang Xunyi was a man, and he sacrificed his life to brutally bite Guo Jia to death…”

Liu Hui finally asked, "Is Zhang Xunyi’s wife settled properly?"

Desheng replied, "She has been arranged in Singapore. I left her a substantial sum; she should be able to live out her remaining years in peace."

Liu Hui stood up and slid open the window. Guo Jia, once so terrifyingly powerful, was finally dead—the very architect of his separation from Liang Jingyue now slain by Liu Hui’s own machinations. His great vengeance was complete. Now that he was married and his revenge exacted, where was Liang Jingyue? Was she doing well? He hoped, perhaps, that she was happy.

A fine, misty rain was falling outside the window, as if seeking to wash away all the filth Guo Jia had left in the world. Guo Jia was gone; a new era had dawned.

Thank you to reader Huya Shike for the tip, thank you for the update votes, and thank you to reader Shiyue for the monthly pass. A