Xu Lan pushed the door open. For that brief moment, no one could recognize him: it was not because Xu Lan dressed haggardly, but rather, he was stooping. They could not help but rub their eyes.

It should be known that Xu Lan became particularly concerned about his reputation after all that happened with the Xu family. He conducted himself in a very self-disciplined manner and his posture was straightened at all times. He was worried that someone might castigate him and that word might spread back to that bunch of people. Xu Lan treated everyone with honesty and sincerity; he handled matters swiftly and decisively too. There was never a time where he was seen in such a depressed state!

“Xiao Xu, are you okay?” Wang Meng walked over to pat Xu Lan on the shoulder. Only then did Wang Meng notice that Xu Lan was much thinner than he appears! Even a slap might be sufficient to take his last breath away.

“Cough!” Xu Lan stumbled and nearly fell face down onto the floor. Almost immediately, he stood back up firmly and waved his hand to indicate that he was alright.

“Are you really sure you’re okay?” Hu Cheng asked uneasily.

“Sergeant Xu…” Xiao Zhang opened his mouth but was unsure of what to say.

Xu Lan found a chair to sit and took out his Yunyan Special cigarettes. It took a few flicks of the spark wheel for the lighter to work. He spoke right after the cigarette was lit. “I’m alright. I’m so sorry to have made you guys worry. So, what new developments are there in the case?”

Despite the fact that most of them inside the building were heavy smokers, Xu Lan’s smoking still managed to make them feel choked. They looked at each other and wondered what happened to Xu Lan. All at once, the smell of tobacco leaves, ‘9.9’ cigarettes ¹ , and Yunyan Special cigarettes were blending together. The whole office was so thick with smoke that seeing each other’s faces were difficult.

“There are some results from Xiao Zhang’s end. The leader of Sparrow Game wishes to meet with Lan Er.” Xiao Feng took out a document and circled some areas in red before handing it over to Xu Lan. Some connections to the Zhao family wife were outlined on the display board for analyzing leads. That was precisely the person that Song Xi claimed to when she came and surrendered herself.

Squinting, Xu Lan scrutinized the documents in hand. Sure enough, the woman was not dead, and furthermore, she is the most important connection to the 928 Incident.

In the second year, after the Zhao family’s younger brother passed away, the woman had completely disappeared from the mental institution and her whereabouts were unknown. Finally, it was concluded that the worker who sweeps the floor daily had let her out. In the end, Xiao Zhang was still able to find her – she was on top of a burial mound belonging to the Zhao family’s younger brothers. Initially, he wanted to find out the surnames of both brother’s wives, thinking that it could be a clue. As luck would have it, someone had just finished offering their sacrifices there. By checking the register and looking at the surveillance footage, he managed to discover the woman.

The most astonishing part was – she was Song Xi’s Mama!

Once again, Xu Lan flicked the spark wheel a few times and lit the cigarette that was between his lips. He read the information in hand very carefully. Xiao Zhang meanwhile, was conveniently checking calls and messages between Mama Song and Song Xi. Among those conversations, there was indeed a mention of the public security bureau impersonation incident that happened eight years ago, as well as the mine incident some thirteen years back.

“Our guess is that Mama Song might be the criminal. The tenseness in recent developments, might have led her to direct Song Xi to impersonate her.” Xiao Zhang summed it up.

“Hm? If it weren’t for her carelessness in offering her sacrifice, we might never have discovered the existence of Mama Song. So, where did she get the pressure from? Song Xi is 28 this year, and the patient from the asylum disappeared around seven years ago at most. Surely you’re not telling me there was betrayal in the Zhao family before all that happened?” Xu Lan curled his lips and asked.

“Er… That must mean Mama Song is inhumane!” A young man who was one of Xiao Zhang’s subordinates mumbled to himself.

“Officer Xiao, what do you think?” Xu Lan turned to Xiao Feng and asked.

“They’re playing a game of cat and mouse with us.” Xiao Feng’s left index finger knocked the table intermittently.

“We still need to discuss this information. So, onto the Sparrow Game, what’s the situation there?” Xu Lan took out a piece of A4 paper and after comparing the clue diagrams, he crossed Mama Song out.