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How large is the civilian weapons stockpile within the Eastern Country? A terrifying number. Terrifying enough to arm the entire nation. That’s right. The kind where, on average, every single person—from an eighty-year-old grandmother to a newborn infant—could be issued a gun. And there would be no shortage of things like detonators, gunpowder, and Firearms. To put it this way, in Xu Huo’s previous life, once things had stabilized, the probability of buying a gun in the country was practically zero. And if you wanted to buy a bomb? Even less likely, unless you made it yourself. But these days... On the surface, the countryside might not look like much. But if you picked any village, even one of the ones that seemed the most honest, and gave it a thorough, large-scale sweep, you’d find at least a dozen guns and a hundred detonators to start. You might even find artillery shells. But then again... Having them, and using them... Are two different things! Especially after the declaration against illegal firearm possession, enforcement became even stricter. But now, not only had someone used one, but it was a bomb. And it had been detonated in a crowded area! 「October 5th.」「Morning, 6:27 AM.」「Hanhai Province.」「Chunhua Road.」 Seven or eight high-ranking police officials in white shirts were gathered on this inconspicuous side street. What are white police uniforms? They were dress uniforms, a new set recently put into service. Unlike the blue of the traffic police or the steel-gray-tinged-blue of regular officers, these uniforms didn’t signify a branch. Instead, they signified... Rank! High-ranking officers!!! You couldn’t even think about wearing one without being a Level 3 Police Chief! And a Level 3 Police Chief... as long as their jurisdiction wasn’t a ’glamour post’ or one of the other three major cities, was usually a Deputy Chief or higher! "Are you sure it was a bomb!?" Zhang Jian, the bureau chief of Linlan City in Hanhai Province, couldn’t suppress his anger. His eyes flashed with anxiety as he looked at Qian Hua, captain of the Linlan City Criminal Investigation Brigade. "It was a homemade, assembled bomb!" Qian Hua, wearing white gloves, stood up. His expression was incredibly grave as he spoke seriously. Receiving the same unvarying answer, Zhang Jian’s face fell instantly, and a sheen of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Xiao Yuan, check it again, carefully." The minds of the other white-shirted officials were a tangled mess. Anxiously, they repeatedly asked him to confirm. To be honest, the seven officials were on the verge of a breakdown. God knows, just last night they were in a meeting at the provincial department. Then, a single phone call had suddenly summoned them back to the city... At first, they’d thought it was just a minor case. But after hearing the word ’bomb,’ every single one of them had felt their minds go blank. At 6 AM, their minds in turmoil, they arrived at the crime scene after driving through the night without a wink of sleep. Seeing the severed limbs scattered by the blast, they nearly fainted. Someone had used a bomb to kill a person in a bustling downtown area! Their phones were getting fucking blown up!!! "A homemade bomb?" Hearing this, one of the more composed officials in a white shirt raised a slight eyebrow, his expression serious. "That’s right. Based on the information gathered at the scene, the killer made a simple, timed pipe bomb." Qian Hua was incredibly tense. In his fifteen years on the job, this was the first time he’d ever encountered a case like this. "According to our findings, the bomb was primarily made of electronic components, an electric detonator, homemade explosives, and an alarm clock that was used to display a countdown." How crude can a bomb be? Take a crude hand grenade, for example. Fill a soda can with enough gunpowder, then create a striking mechanism connected to a detonator. Throw it, and you’ve made a crude hand grenade. It’s a lot like a firecracker. It’s just a matter of replacing the firecracker’s fuse with a detonator. The principle is simple, so the design can vary wildly. For instance, you could wrap a few tubes of explosives with tape and stick a detonator in; that would also count as a bomb. And the killer... According to the limited surveillance footage from the scene, the vehicle stopped by the roadside last night. Shortly after, a person got out of the driver’s seat, closed the door, and left. Not long after that, the bomb detonated. "The victim was restrained in the back seat, their hands and feet bound, which means..." Qian Sheng began, his voice low. "...they were conscious, forced to watch as the bomb killed them!" "An alarm clock? The time bomb had an alarm clock?" The white-shirted Police Chief’s eyes narrowed. He ignored the details of the victim’s death, instead focusing on a less conspicuous clue. He looked at Qian Hua. "Yes." Qian Sheng nodded. He was a contract officer who had risen through the ranks purely on experience, not professional training, so he didn’t grasp the significance of the question. "The alarm clock was blown to bits, but some of the electronic components on it can be confirmed as parts of a time bomb." Hearing this, the white-shirted official fell silent. He didn’t feel the joy one might expect from getting information about the bomb’s construction. Instead, a trace of solemnity crept over him. ’If the culprit knows how to make a time bomb, understands the principles, and still adds an alarm clock... then this case is probably hopeless.’ 估摸着悬了. "Old Wang, can it be solved?" Zhang Jian turned his head to ask Wang Hu in a low voice. Wang Hu was the captain of the Linlan City Criminal Investigation Detachment. You could say the safety of Linlan City rested on his shoulders! In an era where the average case clearance rate was thirty or forty percent, he single-handedly pulled it up to fifty! "It’s hopeless." Unfortunately, his impressive resume didn’t give Wang Hu any confidence. He stared at the charred black car, his eyes full of gravity, and spoke grimly. "The higher-ups have issued a do-or-die order!" Liu Jian was frantic with anxiety. Banning guns, and now they’re playing with explosives? And in a major tourist province, no less! During the most critical period of the firearm ban! Are they treating the law like a joke? Or are we the ones being lax, ignoring the orders from above? This is playing with fire!!! The provincial department has completely erupted. They issued a do-or-die order: solve this case at all costs, and do it quickly! Otherwise, the higher-ups will definitely come down for an inspection... No joke, they absolutely will! If a beat cop loses a single gun and reports it after a fruitless search, the news will spread through the brigade, the detachment, the city bureau, and the provincial department in less than half an hour, and orders will come down. Let alone a bomb... "Panicking is useless." Wang Hu sighed. The low case clearance rate of this era wasn’t just due to the quality and equipment of the police. There was a third factor. The cases of this era were just too explosive! Highwaymen, sea pirates, serial killers, armed bank robbers... Trying to solve any one of these cases was a life-threatening endeavor. Literally life-threatening. The kind where one wrong move could get your head blown off. "Right, what about that young fellow from Chu Linhai’s family?" Zhang Jian was pacing back and forth anxiously when, in a daze, a voice spoke up. It was another one of the white-shirted officials. Hearing this, the others paused, their eyes lighting up. Some of them knew Chu Linhai, some didn’t. But even for those who didn’t, his name had reached their ears last month. The ’Jesus Case.’ The ’Corpse Repository Case.’ The ’Radio Station Case.’ Any one of those three cases, taken on its own, was explosive enough to make any chief’s skin crawl just thinking about it happening in their jurisdiction. Let alone all three happening in the span of a single month! Zhang Jian had even put himself in Chu Linhai’s shoes at the time. He’d realized that if he were in that position, he probably would have wanted to just kill himself on the spot... And just when they thought Chu Linhai was finished... In the blink of an eye, the cases were solved! Chu Linhai wasn’t finished. The Corpse Repository Case implicated more than just Jiangsan City, and the higher-ups hadn’t kept it a secret, specifically publicizing it to intimidate others. So, not only was Chu Linhai cleared of blame, he was credited with a major accomplishment! And with a little digging, Zhang Jian found out... All three cases had been solved by a single person! "I remember Old Chu called me, said he was sending him over to lay low for a while?" A sudden realization hit Zhang Jian, and a flash of joy appeared in his eyes. "Him?" Wang Hu frowned, straightening up. "A kid?" "I’ll go take a look."