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Finished speaking, Shi Boren lifted his gaze to the large desk.

Zhou Fengxu held a cigarette between his lips, his white shirt rolled up to his elbows. His side-swept hair, disheveled from worry, stuck out messily forward. Bending down, he picked up a file from the floor.

Silently mocking him, Shi Boren commented, "Even with a shaved head, you'd still look stylish. Why bother keeping your hair?"

He mimicked Zhou Fengxu's gesture, attempting to style his own hair in the same manner. After half-hearted efforts, he gave up, realizing it was hopeless.

"Brother Xu, didn't you ask me to have someone keep an eye on Chu Ji's dessert stall before?"

Zhou Fengxu, chewing on his cigarette, paused and lifted his chin through the smoke. "Something happened?"

"Oh yeah, oh yeah," Shi Boren replied, unusually gossipy as he leaned against the counter with a bread in hand. "What happened in Temple Street today, no one would believe it if I told them."

Teasingly, Shi Boren dragged out the story, not continuing for a while.

Gan Yizu, however, showed enthusiasm. "Brother Ren, quickly tell us, what happened?"

"It's just the Fourteen Gang," Shi Boren said casually.

The term "Fourteen Gang" was mentioned.

"Gan Yizu, who did the Fourteen Gang cause trouble for?" he asked curiously.

Shi Boren secretly glanced at Zhou Fengxu and noticed that their boss had already raised an eyebrow in impatience, almost ready to speak.

Promptly, Shi Boren slid down from his seat, "Don't worry, Ning Ning is fine. Not just fine, she actually had a very impressive day!"

"Why, Brother Ren?" Gan Yizu's expression was innocent.

"The second-in-command of the Fourteen Gang addressed her as Master and even sent someone to escort her home. I heard they even protected the entire Temple Street for her! Nobody will dare to cause trouble on Temple Street anymore."

Gan Yizu gasped, "The second-in-command of the Fourteen Gang respects Ning Ning so much?"

"Yes, it's quite remarkable," Shi Boren whispered, stealing a glance at their boss, implying something.

"Brother Xu, do you think the second-in-command of the Fourteen Gang is showing such attentiveness because he has feelings for Ning Ning?"

Zhou Fengxu placed the file on his desk. Dappled light filtered through the venetian blinds, casting shadows on the workspace.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, he extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray and then laid out the files one by one.

"Many suitors come knocking when there's a desirable daughter in the family. That's quite normal," Zhou Fengxu commented.

"True enough. Ning Ning is both beautiful and skilled in divination. At least a hundred men would vie for her," Shi Boren replied, unable to make any subtle hints.

As all the case files were placed on the desk, Zhou Fengxu rapped the table. "Let's pause our organizing and choose a case to work on."

Shi Boren strolled over with his arms crossed, casually scanning them. Upon noticing the dates on the file covers, he whistled. "These are cases from decades ago. Aren't we a bit too old for this?"

"Can't be helped. The Chief Superintendent wants a promotion, so he's pushing us to solve old cases," Uncle Zhong lamented in resignation.

Gan Yizu reached out to gather the remaining files, securing them in a safe before helping Uncle Zhong to his feet.

"Cases become cold for a reason – there weren't sufficient leads back then," Uncle Zhong said, standing up and stretching his back. "After all these years, the chances of solving them seem even more slim."

The task was to reopen old cases.

The challenge is indeed immense.

Gan Yizu was astonished. "If that's the case, wouldn't solving old cases become an utterly impossible task?"

"Indeed," Uncle Zhong put his hand on Gan Yizu's shoulder, his gaze landing on the man standing by the venetian blinds. "But D Unit has a secret weapon!"

"Such a difficult case as the Human Skin Case, and yet D Unit managed to crack it under Brother Xu's leadership. Do you know what he's called now?"

"What's that?" Gan Yizu was genuinely curious. He usually preferred staying in his office and seldom socialized with colleagues from other units, thus limiting his sources of information.

"The shining star of the police force," Shi Boren chuckled while biting into his bread. "Everyone refers to Brother Xu as the star of the police, and D Unit is the team of the police. Rumor has it that any case, no matter how difficult, will be solved once it lands in Inspector Zhou's hands."

Zhou Fengxu flipped through the old leather-bound file, his long eyes lifting. "Less flattery, are you up for picking a case or not?"

"Pick, pick, pick." Shi Boren grinned, abandoning his bread to stuff it into the back pocket of his jeans.

The group gathered to discuss the case at hand.

"No way, there are no leads here, no beginning, no end."

"This one won't do either. With the evidence damaged, how can we investigate the destroyed information?"

Several old cases were dismissed in quick succession.

Gan Yizu, standing by, timidly interjected, "If we rely solely on the amount of clues to solve cases, will old cases always remain unsolved?"

"Anyway, they're already old cases. The higher-ups aren't in a rush. Starting is always the hardest part. We're just looking for an easy case to bring some good luck," Shi Boren chuckled, but before he could even open a new file, Zhou Fengxu swatted his hand away.

"We can keep picking, but by the time the sun rises tomorrow, we'll settle with this one."

Zhou Fengxu picked up an old leather-bound document, waved it in the air, and flicked off the dust with his long, slender fingers before undoing the knotted string on its closure.

Curious, Shi Boren leaned in closer. "1976, August?"

The more he read, the wider his eyes grew, and the angrier he became. "The mysterious death of an eight-year-old girl?"

"I swear to God. With such a heinous nature, they didn't find the perpetrator? Were our predecessors incompetent?"

Seeing the case, Zhou Fengxu's expression wasn't much better. He locked the other files away in a drawer and laid out the girl's case file for Uncle Zhong to examine.

"Uncle Zhong, do you recall this case?"

Uncle Zhong studied the details carefully, his face solemn as he recollected, "It happened eighteen years ago. Back then, I was still at the Sha Tin Police Station. But due to the severity of the case, I had heard about it."

"The officer in charge at the time managed to track down a suspect. However, in the end, they were cleared of suspicion and released without charge."

Uncle Zhong continued, "I've heard that the girl's parents still visit the police station from time to time to inquire about any progress."