Eric Carter let out an "oh." In the past, George Carter was a worker at the fertilizer factory, while Aunt Linda stayed at home to farm. George Carter had worked diligently at the factory for decades, and by all rights, he should have been able to bring his family to live in the city by now.

"By the way, do you know where they live? Should I take you there?" Amy Lewis asked, her face full of excitement.

In fact, upon seeing Amy Lewis, Eric Carter was far less calm than he appeared on the surface. He recalled many memories from the past. In Nanying, although there were many nightmarish recollections, there were also warm memories—for example, his childhood playmates.

"There's no rush," Eric Carter waved his hand, sizing up Amy Lewis as he asked, "What about you? What are you doing now?"

Amy Lewis replied playfully, "Why don't you guess? I'll give you a hint: I've achieved my dream."

Eric Carter laughed, "Congratulations, really! So you've become a people's teacher. That's great, you've become an intellectual who educates and nurtures students."

Hearing that Eric Carter still remembered her childhood dream, Amy Lewis felt a wave of warmth in her heart. She was a few years younger than Eric Carter. Back then, Eric Carter was the leader of the kids in Nanying commune, the little rascal who was best at fighting, and also the idol she once admired. Now, recalling those carefree childhood days, everything seemed so worry-free.

At this moment, Eric Carter pointed to the school gate of No. 1 Middle School across the street and asked, "You teach here?"

Amy Lewis replied a bit shyly, "Sort of. But I graduated from a normal school, so I teach junior high at No. 1 Middle School."

Eric Carter said, "That's impressive, too." Hearing that Amy Lewis was a teacher at No. 1 Middle School, Eric Carter couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.

At this point, the young man who was with Amy Lewis couldn't hold back any longer. With a somewhat dissatisfied look, he took two steps forward and asked, "Xiaohui, who is this?"

Amy Lewis giggled and said, "Look at me, getting carried away. Come, let me introduce you..." She gestured toward Eric Carter and said to the young man, "This handsome guy is the former commander-in-chief of our Nanying 'Hongdong'—Eric Carter. You can call him Mr. Carter, or Brother Eric." Then, turning to Eric Carter, she said, "This is Alan Quinn..." After a slight hesitation, she added, "My boyfriend."

Amy Lewis was sensitive and perceptive. She sensed her boyfriend's displeasure and realized that she had just been too close with Eric Carter, leaving Alan Quinn out, which wasn't right. Although Eric was like an older brother to her, she couldn't let her relationship with Eric affect her feelings for Alan Quinn, so she made Alan Quinn's status as her boyfriend clear.

Alan Quinn's expression softened a bit as he sized up Eric Carter. He had already heard about this person from Amy Lewis—his impression was of a country boy who liked to fight, probably a roughneck by now. But seeing him in person, he couldn't help but feel that this masculine young man was actually a big threat.

When Amy Lewis mentioned "Hongdong," Eric Carter couldn't help but laugh as he reached out to shake Alan Quinn's hand.

"Hongdong" was a youth vanguard group that Eric Carter had founded in his youth, inspired by the Red Guard organizations in big cities. He "set up his own banner" in Nanying, and named it the "Red Movement Youth Vanguard." Eric Carter appointed himself as the commander-in-chief of "Hongdong." Of course, this "organization" was never recognized by the Nanying Revolutionary Committee—it was just a kids' game. But in Nanying, it was quite famous, and many boys were proud to join "Hongdong."

"You guys go ahead, Brian, don't forget what I asked you to do." Eric Carter turned and gave Brian Howard and Scott Dawson a meaningful look. Hearing that both Amy Lewis and Alan Quinn were teachers at No. 1 Middle School, and that Alan Quinn's parents taught high school and lived in the No. 1 Middle School staff housing, Eric Carter had an idea. He was just thinking of taking a look around the staff housing to see if he could find any clues.

Scott Dawson hesitated for a moment, but Brian Howard cheerfully pulled him away by the arm.

Watching the green sidecar motorcycle rumble off into the distance, Amy Lewis asked curiously, "Brother Eric, who are they?"

Eric Carter smiled and said, "They're from the industrial and commercial bureau. I want to do a little business and asked them for help." These three-wheeled motorcycles were only used by law enforcement, so Eric Carter just made up an excuse—he just needed to avoid revealing his identity as a police officer.

The No. 1 Middle School staff housing was a newly completed residential area from the year before. Each unit was an independent structure, unlike the old residential areas where kitchens and bathrooms were usually shared. The staff housing was also located in the area that had been outlined as a possible residence for the suspect. Moreover, if the suspect lived here, it would be easy to clean up any bloodstains. The special investigation team had found excuses to enter every household in the areas where the suspect might be hiding. In those homes with shared kitchens and bathrooms, if it was the crime scene, there were always some clues to be found.

However, the No. 1 Middle School staff housing was home to many highly respected veteran teachers, who were considered senior intellectuals in Guangning. The special investigation team hadn't focused much suspicion here, and in his previous life, neither had Eric Carter.

But now, Eric Carter had to reconsider—what if the suspect was among them?

Amy Lewis, however, was very excited and rattled off, "Brother Eric, our Hongdong has produced a lot of talented people! Little Ray got into Beijing Primary School, and there are people working in both the city and the county... Oh, and Matthew Gordon, he's in the publicity department of the Qinglong County Party Committee."

Little Ray and Little Matt were Eric Carter's best friends, the "chief of staff" and "deputy chief of staff" of Hongdong. Hearing that they had both made something of themselves, Eric Carter couldn't help but feel happy for them, and joked self-deprecatingly, "Looks like I'm the one who's ended up the worst off."