In an instant, all thirty-plus screens paused simultaneously, and in the corners of every single frame appeared the figure of a single person: Xiao Bu. However, every image was heavily blurred, allowing only a few distinct features to be discerned.
"Pull up the records of all residents for me."
Hui Tailang's eyes narrowed as he demanded the full resident registry on the spot. He took a deep breath; at this point, he had roughly gathered all the necessary data and simply needed to cross-reference it.
Hui Tailang flicked his fingers, plugging the compiled data into a computer before his hands flew across the keyboard.
The time that figure appeared every day coincided precisely with the end of the school day, with only a few exceptions falling during holidays.
Next came the purchase records for identification materials, majors, painkillers, ingredients for synthesizing chemical agents, facial comparisons, and a multitude of other finer details.
When Hui Tailang integrated all these traits together, a single person emerged: Xiao Bu.
Xiao Bu was a high school student, slender yet tall, and his physical features matched the profile almost entirely.
Furthermore, Xiao Bu's passion was chemistry, and his recent purchase history included the precise ingredients required for the Fearless Potion and explosives.
Yet all these purchase records had been concealed. Unfortunately, given Boss Zhu's influence, they were easily uncovered through some specialized methods.
For over thirty days leading up to the incident, Xiao Bu had spent every waking moment meticulously studying the museum's architectural layout.
The reason Xiao Bu became Phantom Thief Shenhu stemmed from specific, harrowing circumstances.
Xiao Bu was an orphan—made so by tragic fate. He never should have been left an orphan, but alas, because of merciless corporate greed.
His father had been a factory worker, but due to withheld wages, his mother had died.
That year, his mother had fallen gravely ill and urgently needed surgery. They had managed to scrape together most of the funds, falling short by just a fraction.
At that time, Xiao Bu's father had already gone unpaid for many months. Desperate to save his wife, he pleaded tirelessly for the wages rightfully owed to him.
That employer was Boss Zhu. After being repeatedly pestered, Boss Zhu grew annoyed and wanted to teach Xiao Bu's father a lesson, never expecting that this would cause Xiao Bu to lose his father forever.
In the end, Xiao Bu's mother succumbed to her illness and passed away as well. Being an only child, Xiao Bu had only his grandmother left, but the devastating double blow of losing both his mother and father proved too much to bear; his grandmother ultimately collapsed under the grief and passed away too.
Back then, Xiao Bu was merely a junior high school student, unwilling to accept such a broken, desolate society.
Thus, Xiao Bu taught himself all manner of subjects—knowledge, kung fu, magic—learning virtually every profession and skill available on the market. He refused to ever again look upon the sneering faces of those self-righteous capitalists.
Transforming into Phantom Thief Shenhu, he embarked on a career as a criminal. Yet the great irony was that while Xiao Bu was technically the one committing crimes, he was the one saving one shattered family after another.
Balancing his studies with part-time work upon entering high school, he ranked first in his grade every year, securing scholarships to pay his own tuition.
However, the lingering trauma of that past left Xiao Bu with a chronic affliction, subjecting him to intense, daily waves of agony that forced him to rely on painkillers. Yet to keep his nightly exploits as Phantom Thief Shenhu running smoothly, Xiao Bu always ground his painkillers into a fine powder, swallowing them straight whenever the need arose.
Finally, thirty days prior, Xiao Bu made up his mind. He would avenge his parents, and he had contacted a single individual to act as his accomplice—a connection so heavily encrypted that even Boss Zhu could not trace it.
But he was Hui Tailang. He had unearthed every detail and strung all the clues together, arriving at a definitive conclusion before dawn and tracing the entire affair back to Xiao Bu.
In truth, Hui Tailang had not spread the rumors to force Xiao Bu into a trap, but rather to let Xiao Bu know he had already lost.
"Brilliant. Truly worthy of the great detective's assistant."
*Detective of the Dog Year: Clearing the Truth*
Unbeknownst to them, the third day had already arrived.
"Ugh, I've searched everywhere and not a single clue!"
Lan Yangyang let out a heavy sigh, sitting by the roadside in deep thought. No matter what, he was still just Lan Yangyang—not Xi Yangyang, and not Hui Tailang.
Helping Meng Xiaoyang track down her birth parents was proving to be quite a tall order for him.
Especially since he was currently a wanted fugitive.
"I've searched for so long, yet there's still not a single piece of information!"
Lan Yangyang gazed up at the azure sky, lifting a hand as if trying to touch a drifting patch of white clouds, only to find them hopelessly out of reach.
The scene shifted. Xi Yangyang was sprinting down the road, hurtling toward the Erying Museum.
Hope was fading fast. Phantom Thief Shenhu had been captured, yet Xi Yangyang remained a million miles away from the truth. Could he really overturn the verdict? Could he truly shatter Hui Tailang's conclusions?
For reasons unknown, the sky slowly filled with dark clouds, and moments later, raindrops began to patter down from above.
A light drizzle started to fall, tap-tapping against the ground as it streaked across Xi Yangyang's cheeks.
Xi Yangyang dashed through the rain; thus far, he had gathered only a few clues, yet he still lacked any definitive trace of the real culprit.
What was he supposed to do? Was he simply going to accept this fate? The light drizzle steadily intensified into a torrential downpour.
Rain poured relentlessly from the sky while Xi Yangyang stood utterly dazed in the middle of the deluge, soaked to the skin, lost in thought.
"Come inside, child! You'll catch a cold standing out here!"
As Xi Yangyang stood in a trance, an elderly man sheltering beneath a bus stop pavilion beckoned him over to escape the rain.
Xi Yangyang nodded mechanically, then lifted his foot and hurried over.
Before him, a fierce storm whipped the rain into a frenzy. Xi Yangyang truly had no idea what to do next. He had found clues, he had figured out the motive, but he still hadn't identified the murderer.
There were simply too many people—far too many oppressed individuals listed in the records. In just a day and a half, it was utterly impossible for Xi Yangyang to verify every single one of them.
What should he do?
Watching Xi Yangyang's expression, the old man chuckled softly.
"Sometimes, it's better not to think about things too much!"
With a smile, the old man boarded an arriving bus as it pulled up to the curb. He stepped inside, and the bus pulled away, leaving the stop behind.
Xi Yangyang remained standing beneath the shelter, deep in thought. The rain continued unabated. Suddenly, his phone rang.
"Beep, beep, beep."
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Who are you?"
"I'm the real culprit you've been looking for."
The voice on the other end of the line was preternaturally calm, as if discussing something utterly trivial.
Was Xi Yangyang shocked? He had considered the possibility that the real killer might contact him, slim though that chance was. What truly startled him, however, was the voice itself.
"Tian Yuan!"
Xi Yangyang's downcast eyes snapped upward. At that exact moment, the rain ceased, the howling wind died down in unison, and the sun broke through the clouds once more, bathing the path ahead of Xi Yangyang in brilliant light.
"Why? Why tell me this now?"
"Because I want you to know—I did nothing wrong!"
In an instant, a gale surged once more, whipping Xi Yangyang's bangs straight back as his gaze hardened with resolve.
Had he really been oblivious the entire time? Xi Yangyang had simply been waiting; in truth, he had already figured it out.
Remember? Xi Yangyang was the fastest runner among all the sheep—he had been the very first person to rush to the scene.
In fact, before the person who had tackled Lan Yangyang had even fled, Xi Yangyang was already there, taking the opportunity to snap a photograph.
Yet that wasn't all. Truth be told, even before setting out, Xi Yangyang had already caught wind of the case.
After all, Mumu had already grown into a detective of considerable caliber; there was no way he could have investigated nothing at all.
Mumu had indeed uncovered several clues, but instead of acting on them himself, he had penned an extra letter and mailed it to Xi Yangyang.
From the very beginning, Xi Yangyang had been aware of the case. But that wasn't the focal point; the key was that when they initially split up, Xi Yangyang hadn't stayed with Fei Yangyang the whole time—he had slipped away to the restroom midway.
That, however, had merely been a pretext. During that interval, Xi Yangyang had rendezvoused with Mumu and handed something over to him.
That item was a miniature explosion-proof camera that Xi Yangyang had previously asked Principal Slow Goat to custom-make for him.
That was precisely why Mumu hadn't immediately contacted Xi Yangyang and the others.
Afterward, Xi Yangyang went to check on the others individually; in fact, when Xi Yangyang had been knocked down, he had been right there in the adjacent alleyway.
So why had Xi Yangyang suffered from nightmares? The answer was simple: he had faked them. Why pretend? Naturally, to put on a show for someone else—and that someone wasn't just anyone; it was Tian Yuan.
Through the footage from the micro-camera Mumu had handed him, blurry though it was and unable to capture a clear face, Xi Yangyang had nonetheless managed to identify Tian Yuan through investigation.
From the very start, Xi Yangyang had no intention of searching for a needle in a haystack; he had aimed straight for the source.
Thus, Xi Yangyang had boldly taken the risk of approaching Tian Yuan directly right from the beginning. Of course, as a crime suspect himself, Tian Yuan would never truly trust him.
In truth, the nightmares were real, but the initial panic and the manner of waking up had been an act.
The answer was simple: there had been something wrong with that cup of water, which had been laced with a specialized agent.
It wasn't fatal, nor was it some sort of poison; it simply induced vivid nightmares. As for why Xi Yangyang continued to play along afterward—it was because Tian Yuan was tailing him.
Not only was Tian Yuan tailing him, but he was also hacking into surveillance systems using drones, keeping him under constant, unceasing surveillance. Xi Yangyang had been acting the entire time.
To maintain the illusion that he was completely clueless and trapped in a cycle of nightmares, Xi Yangyang had endured the drenching rain, pretending to be utterly exhausted by his harrowing dreams before waking up to grumble about his fatigue.
Until this very moment, when Tian Yuan finally revealed himself, Xi Yangyang no longer needed to act. Right now, he was going to face the real culprit face-to-face!
With a creak, Xi Yangyang ascended the stairwell to the appropriate floor, then followed the corridor until he reached the door of Tian Yuan's rented apartment.
Xi Yangyang reached out and gently tapped the doorframe. With a soft creak, the door swung open. It wasn't locked; it was left half-open, clearly anticipating Xi Yangyang's arrival.
The interior was pitch black, the heavy curtains drawn tight, obscuring everything within.
Xi Yangyang stepped across the threshold, keeping his head down, on guard against any sudden peril.
"Hmph, so the great detective has arrived!"
"Have you managed to piece together the entire case inside that head of yours?"
"Tell me, what is the truth according to you?"
With the door standing ajar, sunlight spilled over Xi Yangyang, while across the room the curtains remained firmly shut, plunging the interior into an unnatural gloom.
Xi Yangyang stood bathed in the sunlight, whereas Tian Yuan lingered in the shadows, fixing his gaze upon him, eager to hear the truth Xi Yangyang had deduced.
"Very well."
Xi Yangyang took a deep breath, his mind racing. To begin with, the pocket watch had indeed been stolen by Phantom Thief Shenhu, but his accomplice was not Lan Yangyang—it was Tian Yuan standing right before him.
In truth, the security system hadn't been hacked from the outside; Tian Yuan had already infiltrated the surveillance feeds long beforehand. Tian Yuan and Phantom Thief Shenhu had collaborated to steal the pocket watch. Yet one detail remained profoundly bizarre:
Having successfully stolen the watch, why on earth would they subsequently plant it on Lan Yangyang under the guise of an accidental collision, deliberately exposing themselves? Why would they do that?
"You're nothing special after all! You haven't seen through the truth, nor have you grasped its essence. You will never understand us—we despise Boss Zhu with every fiber of our being!"
Suddenly, Tian Yuan jerked his head up, fixing Xi Yangyang with a venomous glare that made his blood run cold. Tian Yuan's eyes were shot through with red, swirling with the pitch-black depths of an abyss.
A sudden realization seemed to dawn on Xi Yangyang. He lunged forward, but it was already too late.
Tian Yuan whirled around and violently yanked open the curtains. The window behind them, along with its security bars, had already been dismantled.
This was precisely what Xi Yangyang had feared, for their apartment was situated dozens of stories high!
"Don't!"
Xi Yangyang lunged forward in a flash, but he was too late.
Tian Yuan let out a cold sneer and vaulted straight out the window.
In a heartbeat, Xi Yangyang's pupils contracted, his heart hammering wildly. He froze, stopping dead at the window frame, staring down at Tian Yuan's broken, mangled form sprawled far below.
"Why?"
"Why on earth did you have to do this?"
Xi Yangyang stood paralyzed as a fine drizzle began to fall once more. He simply couldn't comprehend it. Why would things turn out this way?
Why? Why did they loathe Boss Zhu so intensely? Was it really just because of unpaid wages? What on earth had happened back then?
And why, after successfully stealing the Rainbow Pocket Watch, had they returned it?
Xi Yangyang's mind refused to yield answers, but regardless, the third day had arrived, and he could no longer afford to drag his feet. Even if the truth he had uncovered was fractured and incomplete, he had no choice but to accept it.
With that thought, Xi Yangyang pulled out his phone and dialed the others. Before long, the police arrived, followed shortly by everyone else, including Boss Zhu.
"Is it over?"
Surveying the crowd gathered below—the police, his friends, and onlookers alike—Xi Yangyang drew a deep breath and looked toward the computer before him.
The computer belonged to Tian Yuan, and its hard drive was filled with his criminal records. Yet resting right beside the computer was a small iron box.
Xi Yangyang glanced at it, popped it open, and found a USB flash drive inside, though its specific purpose remained a mystery.
Oh well, everything was finally over. Even so, Xi Yangyang still desperately wished he knew the whole truth.
"I'll be damned, so this person was behind it all."
Boss Zhu marveled aloud, genuinely astonished that in the span of just three days, Xi Yangyang had actually managed to track down the true culprit.
"That's amazing, Xi Yangyang!"
The others chimed in with praise for Xi Yangyang. Yet by contrast, while the rest of the group and Boss Zhu were jubilant, Hui Tailang looked utterly furious. If the charges had just stuck, Lan Yangyang would have been entirely at his mercy!
How infuriating!
"Hey, Lan Yangyang, you can come back now! It's all over!"
Following an afternoon of processing, the final verdict had finally been handed down: Xiao Bu and Tian Yuan had been identified as the masterminds behind the theft, and Lan Yangyang's name had been completely cleared.
Xi Yangyang picked up his phone and made the call. Moments later, down by the roadside where Lan Yangyang was sharing a bowl of noodles with Meng Xiaoyang, his phone suddenly rang.
"Lan Yangyang, you're in the clear!"
Lan Yangyang pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. Xi Yangyang's voice came through, bearing wonderful news.
"What?"
"My name has been cleared!"
A brilliant light gradually bloomed in Lan Yangyang's eyes. He was safe—that was wonderful.
"Big Brother Lan Yangyang, what's wrong?"
The clarity returned to Lan Yangyang's gaze, filled with bubbling excitement. Meng Xiaoyang paused mid-bite, looking up at him from her bowl of noodles in utter confusion, failing to understand his sudden outburst.
"Meng Xiaoyang, that's amazing! I'm in the clear! Your big brother is definitely going to help you find your family now."
Lan Yangyang smiled, beaming with the joy of having his name vindicated. Yet his very first thought upon sharing in the joy was that he could now throw himself fully into helping Meng Xiaoyang find her relatives.
Lan Yangyang patted Meng Xiaoyang on the head, pulled her to her feet, and broke into a sprint toward the coordinates Xi Yangyang had texted him.
The sun hung high in the sky, casting a golden glow across the pavement as Lan Yangyang ran hand in hand with Meng Xiaoyang beneath the brilliant sunlight.
He had known all along that Xi Yangyang would pull it off. Running tirelessly, Lan Yangyang finally arrived at the apartment building.
"Lan Yangyang!"
As Lan Yangyang stepped through the doorway, he came face-to-face with the rest of the group as they turned to look at him.
"Everyone, I'm back."
Lan Yangyang greeted his long-secluded friends. At that moment, Fei Yangyang spotted Meng Xiaoyang's hand clutched in Lan Yangyang's and asked with a puzzled frown,
"Lan Yangyang, who is this?"
"Yeah, Lan Yangyang!"
The others chimed in with curious looks. Lan Yangyang offered an awkward smile before immediately launching into an introduction for Meng Xiaoyang.
"Her name is Meng Xiaoyang, and I'm currently helping her track down her parents!"
As Lan Yangyang explained the situation piece by piece, the others grew to understand Meng Xiaoyang's past and expressed deep sympathy.
"Mei Yangyang, could you keep an eye on Meng Xiaoyang for a moment?"
Lan Yangyang stepped forward, placing Meng Xiaoyang's hand into Mei Yangyang's, before turning his head to scan the surroundings in search of Xi Yangyang.
"Xi Yangyang."
Lan Yangyang's eyes widened as he spotted Xi Yangyang walking down the apartment's interior staircase.
"Xi Yangyang, I knew you could do it!"
Overjoyed, Lan Yangyang dashed forward, lunging into a tight embrace around Xi Yangyang.
"Alright, alright, Lan Yangyang. Didn't I tell you everything would be fine? It's all finally over!"
Seeing Lan Yangyang weeping against his shoulder, Xi Yangyang reached out with a helpless yet gentle motion to comfort him.
Yet Lan Yangyang refused to let go, clinging to him tightly as if terrified that everything before him was merely an illusion.
"Principal Slow Goat, could you try decrypting this USB drive?"
At that moment, Xi Yangyang walked over and handed the flash drive to Principal Slow Goat.
Principal Slow Goat raised a hand to examine the drive in his palm, nodded, and beckoned for someone to bring over a computer.
"Xi Yangyang!"
Just then, Mumu—having just finished wrapping up his end of the case—walked over and called out Xi Yangyang's name.
"As expected of you, Xi Yangyang! I knew you'd pull it off!"
Mumu stepped up and gave Xi Yangyang a thumbs-up. By contrast, standing off to the side, Hui Tailang looked thoroughly disgruntled; they had been so agonizingly close to victory—how infuriating.
"The case is solved and the culprit has been caught. Thank you all so much."
Boss Zhu stepped forward to express his gratitude to the three master detectives and the detective's assistant.
"Th-this is...!"
Amidst the celebratory atmosphere, Principal Slow Goat suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief as he stared at the data loading onto the computer screen.
"What is it, Principal?"
Xi Yangyang stepped forward, peering at the monitor, and froze instantly.
*Detective of the Dog Year: Who is Right, Who is Wrong?*
"This is... Boss Zhu's criminal record!"
Indeed, it was Boss Zhu's rap sheet. The documents detailed every single illegal act Boss Zhu had ever committed:
Tax evasion, withheld wages, assaulting employees, maliciously staging accidents to harm workers, and shattering countless families in the process.
"Th-this is!"
Right beneath Boss Zhu's criminal record, Xi Yangyang laid eyes on the true, unvarnished truth.
"What?!"
In utter disbelief, Xi Yangyang suddenly managed to connect every single mystery swirling in his mind.
"I should have figured this out sooner!"
"Xi Yangyang, where are you going?"