After midnight

Lin Xuanfeng sat on the bed and looked at his packed bag. It was 9:28 a.m. on September , and he had less than half an hour to leave. He took his backpack to the living room, put on his shoes, stood in front of the door for a while, and finally couldn't help but tiptoe into Jiu's room.

Ah Jiu was sleeping soundly. Lin Xuanfeng turned off the night light at his bedside, but he didn't notice it at all. Lin Xuanfeng looked at him quietly for a while, then kissed his forehead and left.

The letter left for Jiu was placed in the most conspicuous place in the living room, so Jiu could see it as soon as he woke up. Lin Xuanfeng put on his backpack and opened the door. He would be back soon.

"Xuanfeng, you're here." Song Xinjun waved at him.

"Well, let's go."

At night, the cool breeze blew, and the heavy smell of sand seemed to hit him. An Yan was right, he would set off for Sand City, but the difference was that Song Xinjun would go with him. It was great to have Xinjun here, although Lin Xuanfeng knew that this meant that Fang Hao might give different instructions to the two of them.

After dawn, An Yan rushed to Lin Xuanfeng's house to pick up Jiu. Jiu packed his backpack and waited for him on the sofa. When he saw An Yan, he didn't say a word of complaint or coquettishness, but followed An Yan back calmly.

"I'm sorry, Jiu, I was a little late in sending Xiao Su to school." An Yan said, putting his arm around Jiu's shoulders, then tapped his cheek with his index finger.

"It's okay, then Brother Anyan, let's go. Can I still live in my previous room?"

"Yes, check your homework for me when you get back."

"Okay!" Ah Jiu's eyes suddenly lit up, "Then can I compete with you?"

"That's possible," An Yan pondered for a moment and asked, "Why, does Senior Brother often fight with you?"

"Yes! Master showed no mercy!" Ah Jiu screamed and complained to An Yan. An Yan laughed and rubbed Ah Jiu's head. At night, An Yan called Su Ziling out.

"You mean... Lin Xuanfeng specifically told you to bring Ah Jiu back when he left this time?"

"Well, I wonder how long Senior Brother will be gone this time."

"It's a bit strange. Where did he go on this mission? This is the first time he asked us to take care of Jiu. The last time he went to North City, Lin Xuanfeng took Jiu with him."

"Yes, that's what I'm worried about. I guess my brother didn't have time to take care of Jiu during this mission and he knew very well what he would face next, so he didn't bring Jiu with him."

"You mean to say that Lin Xuanfeng's mission this time is very dangerous?"

"Yes, Jiu must have thought of this as well."

"Who? Ah Jiu?"

"Yeah, but he behaves very normally, like an adult."

"Don't worry too much... Maybe the incident in Beicheng made Jiu grow up a lot. He now understands and respects what his master does. Isn't this a good thing?"

"I'm not worried." An Yan quickly retorted. He looked at the night illuminated by the lights in the courtyard and asked Su Ziling, "How are you today?"

"Huh?" Su Ziling looked at him in surprise.

"What's wrong?" An Yan was a little confused.

"You rarely ask me such candid questions like how your day was, so I was a little surprised."

"Really? No?"

"Yes, and this should be the first time you have taken the initiative to talk to me about this since you came back."

"Oh...it's getting late, let's go back to the house." An Yan fled in panic.

But not long after An Yan returned to his room, he received a letter from Yin. In the letter, Yin told An Yan that Song Xinjun and Lin Xuanfeng had entered the Sand City together just now.

The water marks slowly blurred the handwriting, and An Yan laughed at himself. So how could he go back to being the An Yan that Su Ziling was already familiar with? This was Xindu, not the New World. An Yan threw the letter away and turned off the lights in the room.

Sand City is located on the edge of the desert. Like Xindu, it is almost a completely open city. Lin Xuanfeng and Song Xinjun walked from Xindu and entered Sand City that night. It was a dark and windy night, the time for murder and arson.

Everyone knows that Lin Xuanfeng uses wind power and is a strong man among the strong, but few people know that he is a true killer. Lin Xuanfeng wiped the blood off the dagger, broke through the door, and quickly disappeared into the night.

The next day, at dawn, in less than half a day, the news of Liu Liang's murder spread throughout the entire Shacheng.

Liu Liang was murdered at home, his death was horrible, his body was covered with blood. But the cause of his death was very simple, he was killed by a knife, his throat was cut. Everyone speculated that it was a revenge killing, because only a revenge killing would be cruel enough to bleed and then kill with a knife. Lu Jun closed the autopsy report and knew that the matter was not that simple. The report proved that it was just the opposite, he was killed first and then stabbed a few more times in a pretentious manner.

The murderer wanted to confuse the public.

But just because the cause of death was known, it didn't mean the matter would be easy to handle. First of all, the murderer used a dagger to commit the crime, so it was impossible to identify the murderer. Furthermore, although Liu Liang's surname was not Song, he was the biggest local boss in the area, and the power behind him had a close relationship with the Song family, so many people had grudges against him, and the vendetta that everyone speculated about was not groundless. Finally, this matter was too weird, and Lu Jun felt that it would not be so easy to end.

He compiled the report overnight and handed it to his superior, the chief of the Shacheng Police Department.

In early October, less than two days after Lu Jun submitted his report, the second case came. The deceased this time was Yang Wenyang, an official of the Shacheng government. It is worth mentioning that his wife's surname was Song, and she was a distant relative of the Song family in Xidu. Yang Wenyang's death attracted the attention of the top leaders. No matter how small the official was, the murder would cause panic. The instructions from the top leaders were passed down to Lu Jun.

Lu Jun was deep in thought, holding a thick stack of papers recording the cases. The two cases must be related, and the murderer might even be the same person, because Yang Wenyang was also stabbed in the throat with a dagger in the middle of the night. But at present, there is no evidence or effective clues to point out a direction and lock in the suspect. The only thing that can be inferred is that the murderer must be very powerful, so powerful that he does not need to use, and must not use, his abilities.

Lu Jun tightened his grip on the paper and came to a conclusion. This matter had to be handed over to the Security Bureau.

"Now that you're back, how's it going?" Director Wang came over and asked Lu Jun when he returned to his office.

"The Security Bureau has taken over everything."

"That's good. This bomb can't explode in our own hands."

"But there didn't seem to be any indication over there, so I just left a bunch of stuff there."

"Don't be anxious." Director Wang said and turned away.

The third case happened. The deceased was surnamed Song, Song Shi. At this time, Lu Jun realized that this was a political purge, someone was cleaning up the cancer in Shacheng. But he still didn't understand why it was in this order, but it was obvious that this was not something he could intervene in. As the expedited documents were delivered one by one, he handed them all over to the Security Bureau.

"Mr. Lu Jun, right? I heard that you are in charge of the cases of Liu Liang, Yang Wenyang, and Mr. Song Shi, right?"

"Who are you?" Lu Jun looked at the stranger in front of him. He didn't expect that no matter how fast he walked, someone would still come to his door.

"My last name is Song, and I'm from Jiudu. I think smart people should understand what I mean." The man took out something he had been holding in his hand.

"You are late. I have already handed over all the information to the Security Bureau."

"I don't think it's too late. I'm looking for you."

"Then why don't you come to my office to find me?" Lu Jun rolled his eyes and asked calmly.

"Ha, if I go to the police station to find you, it will be an accountability. At this time tomorrow, no one can guarantee that you will still be here leisurely drinking coffee." The man pointed to the exquisite coffee cup on the table, with half of the coffee left in it.

"I understand. All the information will be here tomorrow morning. Goodbye."

Lu Jun pulled his shirt tightly and left. Now that he had shown the card representing the Song family, he knew why he had come to him in the first place.

The security bureau of Shacheng is controlled by the revolutionary army. This assassination is obviously aimed at the Song family in Shacheng. As a formal government agency, the police station has no right to say no to anyone. This time, the Song family also knew that it was useless to rely on them alone, otherwise they would not have assigned special people to intervene. Lu Jun hurried back to the police station.

"You mean Jiudu assigned a Mr. Song to come? Can you confirm his identity?"

"Sure, he showed the Song family's unique hand."

"The hand card? The one with the word 'Song' engraved on it?"

"Yes, I saw it clearly."

"Is it Song Nan? No, he is now stationed in Jiudu and is in charge of the overall situation for Song Yu. It is impossible for him to come here in person. Then who could it be? Who did Song Yu send here?"

"Director Wang, no matter who he is, he must be someone very important. I have already agreed to his request."

"It's better to agree. Since he dares to come to you openly, it means he knows that his identity will be exposed sooner or later. So, we should not be afraid of making a big fuss about this matter. I will report this matter to my superiors later."

"I understand, Director Wang."

"Lu Jun, believe me. As long as there is movement in Jiudu, Xindu will not sit idly by."

"I understand." Lu Jun's eyes lit up instantly.

"Hello, are you Mr. Song from Jiudu?"

"I'm."

"My Mr. Song invites you."

Soon, the man holding the card from Jiudu was found by Song Fengrong. Song Fengrong was active in the officialdom of Shacheng and was the eyes and claws of the Song family in Shacheng. The last person who died, named Song Shi, was his nephew.

Song Xinjun went around in circles, passed one level after another, and finally sat in front of Song Fengrong's office.

"Who are you? How come the Song family's cards are in your hands?" Song Fengrong asked sternly, showing the authority that he had honed in the officialdom.

"I am Song Xinjun. The cards in my hand were naturally given to me by Lord Song Nan."

Song Xinjun? Song Fengrong thought. He had never heard of this person, just like he had never heard of Song Nan's name. "I will ask Lord Song Nan for confirmation."

"I advise you not to do that. If the cards are not enough to gain your trust, not only Song Nan, but also Lord Song Yu will be very angry. Of course, I know what you are thinking. It is precisely because we cannot give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of us that Lord Song Nan gave me the cards and asked me to come here to save you from disaster. I think you have guessed what you will face next, so let's not waste time."

"I understand." Song Fengrong had to dispel his concerns. After all, once Miss Song left, the only card left in the Song family's hand should be the one in Song Yu's hand.

"Mr. Song, please move into my mansion. My safety is in your hands."

"I will." Song Xinjun curled the corners of his lips.

Song Xinjun moved into Song Fengrong's heavily guarded mansion that night, and on the next day, which was the afternoon of October 3rd, Lu Jun and another person from the Security Bureau, who were responsible for the serial murder case in Shacheng, welcomed Lin Xuanfeng from Xindu.

"Hello, I'm Lin Xuanfeng. Please give me your guidance during my time in Sand City." Lin Xuanfeng extended his hand to the two of them in a friendly manner.

"Oh my God, Lin Xuanfeng, I admire you so much. I didn't expect it would be you!" Lu Jun grabbed his hand and seemed extremely excited.

"you are?"

"Captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Police Department, Lu Jun!"

"I've heard of your name, so let's go into the city and talk in detail."

The sun shone on the sand dunes, and Lin Xuanfeng entered the Sand City again, entering the Sand City openly.