047 : Breaking the Illusion of Power.

Lin Tian sat in a quiet corner of a small internet café, a dimly lit place filled with students playing online games and office workers escaping their late shifts. The smell of cheap coffee lingered in the air, blending with the faint hum of computer fans.

Across from him, Zhang Rui typed rapidly on his laptop, his eyes locked onto the screen. His usual carefree smirk was gone—replaced by something serious.

"I don't know how you keep dragging me into this kind of insanity," Zhang Rui muttered. "But you're lucky I'm good at what I do."

Lin Tian leaned back in his chair, golden eyes gleaming. "Show me what you found."

Zhang Rui exhaled, then turned the laptop around. "This… is what Zhou Minghai has been trying to bury."

Lin Tian's gaze sharpened as he read the files displayed on the screen.

[Confidential Legal Documents – Zhou Corporation Internal Records]

At first glance, it looked like financial records—investments, company expenses, legal transactions. But hidden among the data were entries that didn't make sense.

Payments to untraceable accounts.

Large sums moved discreetly, months before Su Yun's mother disappeared.

Then, another set of documents—police reports, witness statements—all filed away quietly, never reaching the public.

One detail stood out.

A name.

"Liang Fei."

Lin Tian tapped the screen. "Who is this?"

Zhang Rui exhaled. "That's the guy who tried to leak the truth years ago. A journalist. He started digging into Su Yun's mother's disappearance, and the next thing anyone knew—he vanished."

Lin Tian's fingers tapped against the table rhythmically.

So that was it.

Zhou Minghai hadn't just erased Su Yun's mother.

He had erased anyone who got too close.

Lin Tian's smirk returned. "Then let's bring him back."

Zhang Rui blinked. "Wait. What?"

Lin Tian leaned forward. "You said he disappeared, right? But no one truly disappears without a trace. Find out what happened to him."

Zhang Rui groaned. "You're insane."

Lin Tian chuckled. "And you love it."

Zhang Rui muttered under his breath but started typing again.

Lin Tian exhaled slowly.

Step one—completed.

Now, he just needed to make Zhou Minghai realize that his past was no longer buried.

It was about to be dragged into the light.

The next morning, Lin Tian sat calmly in class, staring out the window as the teacher droned on about economic structures.

His mind, however, was elsewhere.

It had been fourteen hours since Zhang Rui started digging into Liang Fei's disappearance. If there was even a single crack in Zhou Minghai's cover-up, Zhang Rui would find it.

Then, right before lunch—

His phone buzzed.

A message from Zhang Rui.

Zhang Rui: Got something. Meet me behind the library. Now.

Lin Tian didn't hesitate. He stood, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the classroom without a word.

Su Yun blinked as she watched him leave. "Lin Tian?"

He didn't stop.

Not yet.

This was too important.

Zhang Rui paced behind the school library, looking both excited and nervous. When Lin Tian arrived, he immediately pulled out his phone, showing a news article from five years ago.

"Liang Fei didn't just disappear," Zhang Rui said. "He was blacklisted. His career was destroyed, his reputation ruined. No one would hire him. The guy lost everything overnight."

Lin Tian frowned. "Where is he now?"

Zhang Rui swiped to another screen.

"I found this."

It was a blurry image from a security camera. A man sitting alone in a dimly lit bar. He looked older, more worn-down, but his face was unmistakable.

"That's him," Zhang Rui said. "He's still in the city. But he's completely off the grid."

Lin Tian smirked.

"Not for long."

Zhou Minghai thought he had erased the only person who could expose him.

But Liang Fei was still alive.

And Lin Tian was going to make sure his voice was heard.

That evening, Lin Tian sent another untraceable message.

Anonymous: You should have finished the job five years ago.

A pause. Then—

Unknown Number: Who are you?

Lin Tian's smirk widened.

Anonymous: The past doesn't stay buried forever. You'll see soon enough.

The phone remained silent after that.

But Lin Tian knew what was coming.

Zhou Minghai would be panicking.

And a panicked enemy made mistakes.

The next night, Lin Tian arrived at the bar where Liang Fei was last seen. It was a rundown place, dimly lit, filled with cigarette smoke and the quiet murmurs of tired men drinking away their regrets.

And in the corner—a lone man sat, nursing a glass of whiskey.

Liang Fei.

Lin Tian approached, pulling out the chair across from him. Liang Fei barely looked up, his eyes dull and distant.

"If you're here for a story, kid," he muttered, "you're too late. I don't do that anymore."

Lin Tian smirked. "Maybe you should."

Liang Fei exhaled. "And why's that?"

Lin Tian leaned forward, his golden eyes burning with quiet intensity.

"Because I know what happened to Su Yun's mother."

Liang Fei froze.

For the first time in years—there was fire in his eyes.

Lin Tian's smirk deepened.

"Checkmate."

Liang Fei sat hunched over his drink, his fingers wrapped tightly around the glass, as if it was the only thing keeping him from falling apart. His eyes, once sharp and full of ambition, were now hollow.

Once, he had been a respected journalist. Once, he had chased the truth fearlessly.

But now?

Now, he was a ghost of the man he used to be.

Lin Tian studied him carefully. This wasn't going to be easy. Liang Fei had lost everything because of Zhou Minghai. If Lin Tian wanted his help, he needed to do more than just bring up the past—he needed to reignite the fire in him.

"You still care," Lin Tian said, voice calm but firm. "That's why you haven't left the city."

Liang Fei scoffed, swirling his whiskey. "Kid, you don't know a damn thing about me."

Lin Tian smirked. "I know you tried to expose Zhou Minghai. I know you got too close to the truth. And I know that instead of killing you, he did something worse—he made the world forget you."

Liang Fei's fingers twitched around his glass.

Lin Tian leaned forward. "He took everything from you. Your career, your reputation, your voice. But now? You have a chance to take it all back."

Liang Fei let out a bitter laugh. "You think I haven't tried? You think I don't wake up every day knowing I was right, knowing I had the truth, and still lost?" He looked up, his gaze sharp for the first time. "Zhou Minghai is untouchable."

Lin Tian's golden eyes gleamed. "No one is untouchable."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, softly, Lin Tian said, "I can prove it."

---