A calm middle-aged man named Old William Scott seemed to know his temperament and didn’t get angry. He simply took out a pack of cigarettes, handed him one, and then said, “Of course I have something to talk to you about. Let’s go, we’ll talk as we walk…”

David Harris took the cigarette without saying much, grabbed his coat from the chair with one hand and casually threw it on, then followed behind Old William Scott out of the traffic department’s main gate. Not far from the entrance, Old William Scott lowered his voice and said, “Brother, we’re really done for this time. Ever since Director Niu transferred you out and brought in that well-connected rich kid as captain, things were fine for a while because there weren’t any tough cases. But this time is different—dozens of people have died in a row, including several big businessmen. Orders from above: solve the case within three months, or the entire major crimes unit will be replaced. Please, help your brothers out.”

David Harris took a deep drag on his cigarette, then nodded and said, “Let’s go, we’ll talk more in the meeting room. Give me all the case files to look over…”

Over ten minutes later, in the smoke-filled meeting room, David Harris carefully went through all the case files one by one. Then he pulled out a small metal box from his pocket, which contained only three cigarettes. He took one out, lit it, and smoked. After finishing that cigarette, he went through all the files again, then lit a second cigarette.

“…From what we know so far, the crime boss Brian Clark died on the rooftop of a shopping mall, and was struck dead by lightning.” Only after finishing his second cigarette did David Harris finally speak.

Those who knew him were aware of his odd habit: whenever he hit a tough spot in a case, he would smoke—always three cigarettes. So far, the most he’d ever needed to solve a case was two cigarettes, and this time he’d already smoked two, which showed just how many doubts there were in this case.

“We all know that. Say something useful.” The young-looking man seemed a bit irritable, and as soon as David Harris spoke, he cut in impatiently.

David Harris ignored him and continued, “First, let’s establish a timeline. A few days ago, Brian Clark died on the mall rooftop. After that, people started eyeing his laundered fortune. But he only had one daughter, and her biological mother wasn’t his wife, so his daughter should be able to inherit the fortune. Then, yesterday morning, the car carrying Brian Clark’s daughter was involved in a chain collision. Her mother died, but she seems to have been rescued by someone. That’s all the information we have so far, right?”

The others nodded gloomily. The young-looking man immediately said, “So what? That chain collision was clearly orchestrated by someone trying to kill Brian Clark’s daughter to get all the money for themselves. The orders from above are simple: find out who planned the crash, and wipe out Brian Clark’s criminal organization. That legendary godfather has been running wild for too long. There shouldn’t be any godfathers or criminal organizations in China!”

“No… what I want to say is…” David Harris suddenly looked up at the young man and said, “What I want to say is, this crash really does seem like a coincidence… But what I’m curious about is, how did the person who killed Brian Clark manage to draw his daughter into this coincidental crash? Or, to put it in a way you can understand… how did he know there would be an accident there? And who could this person be?”

Chapter Four: If I Were a Hero, I Would Repay Good and Evil! (Part One)

“Uncle Jack Evans, Uncle Jack Evans, tell us a story!” A group of boys and girls, about seven or eight years old, cheered and crowded around an old man with graying hair. He wore a green work jacket and a snug fur hat, and when he smiled, his whole face was wrinkled, but those wrinkles radiated kindness. He kept patting the children’s heads and occasionally pulled plain-wrapped candies from his pocket, making the kids cheer even louder.

“All right, all right, don’t push. Everyone sit down nicely. Today, Uncle Jack Evans will tell you a story about heroes…”

This Uncle Jack Evans was a retired teacher living near the orphanage. Because he liked spending time with children, and often brought them candies, he quickly formed a deep bond with the kids at the orphanage. Uncle Jack Evans was also a knowledgeable and virtuous man, always using proverbs or stories to teach the children the right values in life. Because of this, the orphanage director didn’t interfere and let him come and go as he pleased. Today was another day when Uncle Jack Evans came to visit, and the children had been looking forward to his stories for a long time.