After hanging up the phone.

Lu Ding looked at Secretary Qiu. Although he was a bit angry, more than that, he was filled with anticipation.

After all, Elder Deng was coming up.

In this world, Lu Ding had no blood relatives.

Elder Deng, the Crooked-Mouth Old Man, Elder Shui—each of these elders who had helped him, he regarded them all as family in his heart.

And when truly close family members meet, that joy is impossible to hide.

Moreover.

Lu Ding was now in the Second Circle, making a huge splash, his fearsome reputation spreading far and wide.

He hoped Elder Deng could hear about it, could see his current achievements.

It was like a young man who had earned money outside, and during the New Year, bought a Mercedes E300 in full, no—given Lu Ding's current achievements, it should be a Maybach, returning to the village in glory.

The car's hood emblem lifts his father's hunched back, the seats cradle his mother's timid restraint.

Stepping on the gas pedal carries not just family reunion.

But also the youthful ambition and the pride of making a name for oneself.

"Secretary Qiu, did Elder Deng say how long until he comes up?"

Secretary Qiu glanced at him. "He didn't mention that, but..."

His hesitant words suddenly shifted. "I've already asked for you!"

Well, well!

Ever since Fu Xinghe changed his personality, even Secretary Qiu's temperament had improved, now he even knew how to crack a joke.

Lu Ding: "......"

Secretary Qiu continued, "He's waiting to come up together with Bai Hemen and the others."

"Submitting the report to ascend to the Second Circle was a gesture for you, but waiting for Bai Hemen is a gesture for him."

Lu Ding smiled, he understood.

Whether it was him or Bai Hemen, they were both children who had received Elder Deng's care.

Whether the child was down on his luck or thriving and successful.

The image of Elder Deng in Lu Ding's heart had always been one of great virtue and prestige.

Therefore, treating everyone equally and fairly was in line with Elder Deng's character.

Lu Ding stood up. "Secretary Qiu, could I trouble you to help me make a plan? Deduct some contribution points from my account to exchange for some resources Elder Deng can use."

As for Bai Hemen, forget about him. He's a young man, let him earn his own keep. The two of them are friends, Lu Ding isn't his nanny. It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

Lu Ding would give him a stage, give him opportunities, everything depends on himself, and if something goes wrong, Lu Ding would cover for him.

But Elder Deng is an elder.

Respecting and providing for elders is only right.

If it weren't for the cultivation technique Elder Deng gave him back then, and the resources provided later, Lu Ding couldn't have developed this quickly.

Repay a Drop of Kindness with a Fountain of Gratitude.

This had always been one of Lu Ding's personal principles.

Secretary Qiu replied, "Of course, you go ahead and take care of your business, leave this to me."

Lu Ding clasped his hands in salute. "Thank you, Secretary Qiu."

He then turned to Elder Shui. "Elder Shui, I'll go take care of some matters first, to quickly resolve things here so I can continue with the subsequent procedures."

Elder Shui sipped his tea. "Go on, go on."

As the tea entered his mouth, somehow, the tea that usually tasted a bit sweet today actually tasted a little sour.

This old man was feeling somewhat jealous.

After Lu Ding left with Fu Xinghe.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became quiet.

Secretary Qiu beside him stealthily observed Elder Shui.

Elder Shui immediately shot him a look. "What the hell are you looking at!?"

Secretary Qiu hurriedly averted his gaze. "I... I'll get to work."

On the other side.

At the entrance of the Review Office's First Department.

Lu Ding arrived with Fu Xinghe.

Xue Kai was waiting there.

Seeing Lu Ding, he spoke first. "I've done a preliminary check just now and have a general idea of the scope. Remember, don't act impulsively. It's best to leave it to me to handle."

"The relationship between the Review Office and the 749 Bureau is tense. Don't let anyone grab your weak spot."

"Relax, am I the kind of person who acts impulsively?"

Lu Ding's rhetorical question was met with Xue Kai's direct, unwavering stare, and a single word, uttered with emphasis. "Yes."

There was another sentence he didn't say.

'Back then, you were so impulsive you almost wanted to take on even me, a department head.'

Lu Ding couldn't be bothered with him.

The three of them walked into the First Department building of the Review Office together.

Feeling the gazes falling upon him.

With Lu Ding's current fame, while he couldn't achieve 'who in the world doesn't know this gentleman' throughout Great Han, within Hanjing's 749 Bureau and the Review Office, wherever he went casually, it was only a matter of him not knowing others, not others not knowing him.

Winding and turning all the way, left and right.

They arrived at the First Department's Central Control Bodycam Retention Archive Room.

Xue Kai submitted his authorization and casually mentioned a few names and times before starting to retrieve the bodycam footage.

"Retrieve the bodycam retention footage for Wang Heng, Tian Weidong, and Zhou Biao, around yesterday early morning."

Soon.

The retained footage was retrieved.

Starting from yesterday.

At first, there were no issues.

Until nearly morning.

Wang Heng received a document over there.

He took a quick look.

"Deng Guofu!!!?"

Looking more carefully, the document indicated it was from the Third Circle.

Xue Kai spoke up promptly. "Pause, switch to the surveillance feed from channel six."

On the large screen, Wang Heng's bodycam footage and the surveillance feed from channel six were displayed side by side.

They saw Wang Heng's face showing a complex expression, seeming like recollection, yet also like anger, muttering to himself there:

"You actually came up too? You actually still want to come up?"

Wang Heng sneered coldly as he glanced at the document.

Then he walked towards the office area. The surveillance feed followed, and the bodycam footage continued playing.

He didn't say another word along the way.

But Xue Kai provided commentary from the side.

"Before you came, I looked at his file. It recorded his grudge with Deng Guofu."

"Wang Heng was also an investigator in the Third Circle before. He and his older sister were a team. His sister was the main investigator, he was the assistant investigator."

"Back in the Third Circle, there was an incident where a Sin Dragon carried a river to charge the sea."

"During that incident, Wang Heng's sister unfortunately sacrificed herself. At that time, Deng Guofu had a chance to save his sister, but at the same time, the Sin Dragon was also being controlled to charge the sea."

"The situation at the time was such that Deng Guofu, faced with a choice, would not have been wrong no matter which side he chose."

"Saving a teammate was right, blocking the Sin Dragon was also right. But the critical situation only allowed him to choose one side first. Deng Guofu chose to block the Sin Dragon from charging the sea, and missed the best opportunity to treat Wang Heng's sister, leading to her succumbing to her severe injuries."

Sin Dragon carrying a river to charge the sea...

Wasn't that the origin of his Sin Dragon Bone Seal technique?

Lu Ding had heard about this incident more than once.

Back in the Third Circle, Yu Chen, who had controlled the Sin Dragon to charge the river back then, had been resurrected within Lin Chen.

It was Lu Ding who called for Elder Deng to resolve it for him.

He never expected such an old matter would still have ripple effects.

Lu Ding asked, "That doesn't sound right. Weren't there other people there at the time? Why didn't they call for others to help? I vaguely remember there were other people present."

He faintly recalled that quite a few people had gone there back then.

Xue Kai explained to Lu Ding based on the files he had read. "There were indeed other people there at the time, but the situation was quite complex. The incident of Yu Chen controlling the Sin Dragon to carry the river and charge the sea was initially being investigated by Wang Heng and his sister."