Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Zhou Qingfeng neglected to interrogate the criminals, actually because he was preoccupied with trivial matters.

The suspect was caught based on a tip provided by Mrs. Sun. Upon hearing that someone had been caught, the suspect went around the streets demanding a reward. Zhou Qingfeng, as the head of the Night Patrol Division, could not possibly renege on his promise; otherwise, he would lose all credibility and how could he convince the public?

However, Zhou Qingfeng didn't have much money in his pocket at the moment. He hadn't received his monthly salary yet, so he definitely couldn't come up with the promised thousand coins. He could only temporarily lead the woman surnamed Sun into the narrow alley and try to appease her.

The woman surnamed Sun looked at Zhou Qingfeng with a strange expression: "I never expected that the dignified Chief of the Night Patrol Division couldn't even come up with a thousand coins. This has truly broadened my horizons. Are you genuinely honest or just pretending to be poor?"

Zhou Qingfeng said expressionlessly, "I've just taken office and I really don't have any money. But don't worry, if it's confirmed that it was Blackface who kidnapped Mu Zili, I will keep my promise and won't cheat you out of your money, you woman."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun said with a smile, "Commander Zhou, I don't really care about the money, but could you please do me a small favor?"

Zhou Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, suddenly becoming wary: "I advise you, money is a small matter, but trouble comes from the mouth. Think before you speak, because once some words are spoken, there is no going back."

The woman surnamed Sun smiled and said, "I am all alone and have nothing to be afraid of. I just want to find my brother. I heard that Commander Zhou is willing to investigate missing persons cases. Could you please help me find my brother's whereabouts as well?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng's expression softened slightly: "Was your brother also kidnapped?"

When asked about her painful past, Mrs. Sun's expression revealed an overwhelming sadness: "Yes, I was kidnapped three years ago. When I went to report it, it was considered a routine disappearance, and the Night Patrol Bureau refused to accept the case."

"I only want to know if my brother is alive or dead, and whether he is doing well."

Zhou Qingfeng was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "It's clear that you siblings have a very good relationship."

"Well... my brother and I depend on each other for survival. He is my only family in the world."

"Excuse my bluntness, but in this world, someone who has been kidnapped for three years is surely dead."

"No, since we didn't see his body, he's still alive."

"Alright, let's assume he's still alive. What's your brother's name?" Zhou Qingfeng didn't continue to shatter the Sun woman's illusions. Perhaps finding her brother was the only thing keeping her alive in this cruel world.

The woman surnamed Sun suddenly approached, looking up with teary eyes: "The commander-in-chief agreed?"

Zhou Qingfeng remained expressionless, looking down at her. He subtly took a half-step back and said calmly, "Whether you're herding one sheep or a flock, it's all the same. I can check for you while I'm at it, but don't get your hopes up too high."

Upon hearing this, Madam Sun burst into tears of joy, repeatedly stepping back and bowing to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Commander, thank you, Commander. My younger brother's name is Sun Haoyu, nicknamed Dog Tail. He has double pupils, making him easy to recognize."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "Okay, I've got it. If there's nothing else important, I'll be going now."

“There’s one more thing.” Sun quickly mustered her courage and blocked Zhou Qingfeng’s path: “The commander just said that whether you herd one sheep or a flock of sheep, it’s all the same. So could you help others check on the families of those who have been kidnapped?”

“In recent years, many people have been kidnapped in the city. Our neighbors have formed a mutual aid association in the hope that we can find our kidnapped relatives with everyone’s help, but so far there has been no news.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat: "Mr. Sun, are you saying that there are many cases like Mu Zili's, where someone appears to have disappeared but is actually kidnapped?!"

Mrs. Sun nodded: "There are many, a great many. As far as I know, there are dozens of cases, but they have all been treated as missing persons. There are definitely more that I don't know about."

"Wait a minute, let me think about it!" Zhou Qingfeng rubbed his fingers inside his sleeves, his brain working at a rapid pace.

There are no unsolved cases in the Night Patrol Office's archives, but there are many cases of faked disappearances among the common people.

This must be a premeditated kidnapping and faked disappearance orchestrated by some clandestine organization, and it has been going on for at least three years.

The three high-ranking officials of the Night Tour Division—Lu Sifu, Feng Zongqi, and Yun Zongqi—definitely knew this.

Why did they know but do nothing? Why weren't the missing persons cases investigated?

With limited manpower, is the goal to improve the crime-solving rate?

It seems reasonable, but the reasons are not sufficient.

Even if there are unsolved cases, it will not affect the power and status of the Road Administration.

There must be other reasons.

At this moment, Zhou Qingfeng suddenly recalled what Ah Gou had once said: every month, the Lu Si Mansion would subsidize its subordinates out of its own pocket. This was a huge sum of 300,000 coins per month. Where this money came from had always been a mystery.

Zhou Qingfeng had no intention of provoking his current superior so soon after arriving. He simply regarded it as ordinary embezzlement. After all, given the status and power of the Lu Si Mansion, it would be too easy for them to abuse their power for personal gain and accept bribes in private.

So I just kept this matter to myself, intending to find an opportunity to report it and see what the higher-ups thought.

However, the unexpected revelation made by Madam Sun today led Zhou Qingfeng to suspect that the mass disappearance case might be related to the Lu Si Mansion, because apart from the Lu Si Mansion, no one in the Night Wanderer Division could suppress this matter.

Let's make a bold assumption: what if the mastermind behind these fake kidnappings was the Lu Si Mansion?

The Lu Si Mansion operates behind the scenes, with its subordinates kidnapping people in the city to profit from them as materials for alchemy and weapon crafting, or selling them off at high prices.

When people come to report a missing person, they are all refused on the legitimate grounds of not accepting cases of missing persons.

Then everything can be explained.

"Commander Zhou, what's wrong?" Sun asked worriedly from the side.

Zhou Qingfeng snapped out of his daze and waved his hand expressionlessly: "It's okay, you go back first. I'll send someone to find you later to record the missing persons. People from your mutual aid association can come and register."

Mrs. Sun covered her mouth in disbelief and exclaimed, "My God, is it true? Thank you so much, Commander Zhou! I'll go back and tell everyone the good news right away."

Zhou Qingfeng watched Sun leave, then stood alone in the narrow alley. He couldn't help but recall his earlier suspicions and shook his head: "Suspicion is just suspicion; there's no evidence."

"Besides, if this case really involves the Lu Si Mansion, I'm afraid it's not something I can decide on my own."

"Forget it, no matter what, let's get the evidence solid first. Pulling out one radish will bring out the rest of the mud. The black face is already in my hands. I just need to interrogate him properly and follow the clues. Soon everything will come to light."

Zhou Qingfeng clenched his fist, turned around, released his horse, and spurred it back to the Night Patrol Division.

"Blackface, will you confess?" Zhou Qingfeng rushed into the prison with his sword slung over his shoulder. The strongmen and servants along the way bowed and greeted him, but Zhou Qingfeng had no mind to respond until he reached the torture chamber and asked Xiao Hongyun about his situation.

As Xiao Hongyun sorted through the confession, he casually pushed two bloody fingers from the tray on the table in front of Zhou Qingfeng and said casually, "He confessed. He only cut off two fingers. He told everything. He's a spineless coward."

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the dark face bound to the cross and said calmly, "Hmm, what did he say?"