Chapter One: I Have Returned

As dusk approached, the blazing sunset was about to fade, and the last train at River City Station had just arrived.

Outside the station, a man in his thirties or forties leaned against the wall, smoking a rough cigarette, his mouth revealing a row of yellow teeth. His eyes darted among the passengers, searching intently, as if looking for someone.

At that moment, a sturdy young man in a black jacket and simple athletic pants, just over twenty, stepped off the train.

The yellow-toothed man, seeing this, calmly flicked his cigarette to the ground and strode swiftly toward the newcomer.

With a loud thud, the two collided head-on. The yellow-toothed man felt his shoulder stung, as if he had crashed into a steel plate. He cursed under his breath, “Can’t you watch where you’re going? Next time, keep your eyes open.”

He turned away immediately, his face full of sly satisfaction as he hurried off.

Once he was gone, a towering man clad in military uniform approached respectfully.

“General, shall I deal with him for you?”

This mountainous figure was none other than Qin Mu’s subordinate, Wu Mu.

“No need. Just a petty thief,” Qin Mu replied, sniffing slightly. He plunged his hands into his pockets and, as if performing a trick, produced four wallets, which, after a quick count, revealed several thousand yuan inside.

“It’s been almost ten years since I last came back. I didn’t expect pickpockets to be so rampant.”

With that, he walked over to a beggar woman by the roadside, who was cradling a frail little girl of seven or eight, her cheeks flushed, looking very unwell.

“She has a fever, nothing serious. Take her to the hospital,” Qin Mu said, placing the money before the woman and striding away.

The woman stared at the pile of cash, stunned for a moment before hastily bowing to Qin Mu’s retreating figure. “Thank you, kind sir! Thank you, truly!”

Qin Mu then handed the identification cards from the wallets to a passing patrol officer, finally free to pause.

“Ten years, and I’ve finally returned,” Qin Mu sighed.

From as early as he could remember, he had grown up in an orphanage, until he was seven or eight, when the Jiang family adopted him.

But he stayed with them less than two years before the military stepped in, taking him for training at headquarters.

Over the next decade, Qin Mu lived up to every expectation, advancing with courage and skill, overcoming countless obstacles, earning honors in mission after mission. He bore several stars on his shoulder, becoming the youngest general in the nation’s history. Only then was he able to break free of regulations and return to his hometown, River City.

“This time, I’m not just coming home to see my adoptive father and family. I must uncover who killed my real parents.”

Before he was taken by the military, his adoptive father, Jiang Haishan, told Qin Mu that he was not truly an orphan, and his parents likely hailed from a prominent family. Before dying, they entrusted him to the orphanage, washed away his identity over several years, then arranged for Jiang Haishan to adopt him.

Yet all traces of his parents’ deaths remained elusive; even basic information about them couldn’t be found, as if the couple had never existed.

For ten years, Qin Mu had tried to investigate, but stationed far away on the frontier, he could not do everything himself. Now, back in River City, he was determined to unravel the mystery.

Qin Mu thought of this and rubbed his temples. Every time he recalled that his parents might have died unjustly, his heart grew unsettled.

“General, the Jiang family home isn’t far from here. Shall I prepare a car?” Wu Mu asked.

Qin Mu shook his head. “No need, I’ll walk.”

Wu Mu instantly understood, nodded, and replied, “Then I’ll drive over later and meet you there.”

With that, Wu Mu stepped back three paces and quickly departed.

Qin Mu stood at the street’s edge, anticipation flashing in his eyes. Other than the orphanage, this was his only home, and it held the people closest to him.

“It’s time to go home.”

With that thought, Qin Mu selected some fruit from a vendor, walked on for ten minutes, then stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on an old-style residential complex ahead.

“Here we are!”

The Jiang family’s house was in a small, worn-down building near the entrance. It had been assigned to Jiang Haishan decades ago as staff housing, and they had lived there ever since.

“It seems I should discuss with my adoptive father about moving to a new place in the city center, when time permits,” Qin Mu mused.

Just then, a desperate cry for help echoed from ahead.

A youthful, elegant woman—clearly an urban professional—was surrounded at the foot of the building by a group of men, helpless and flustered.

Qin Mu’s face instantly darkened.

“Zhu Bin, what are you doing? If you don’t let me go, I’ll call the police!” Jiang Zheng shouted angrily at the man with unkempt hair and a shabby suit before her.

Zhu Bin was a distant cousin of Jiang Zheng, a layabout who owed his stable orphanage job to Jiang Haishan’s recommendation. He wasted his days, but was addicted to gambling. In less than half a year, he’d squandered all his family’s money and racked up debts, then targeted Jiang Zheng.

“I’m a bit short on cash, just wanted to borrow a little from you, cousin,” Zhu Bin said shamelessly, rubbing his hands together. “Not much, just thirty thousand.”

“What?” Jiang Zheng’s beautiful eyes widened in shock.

For someone just starting out as an intern, thirty thousand amounted to nearly half a year’s salary.

“I don’t have that kind of money!”

Zhu Bin’s pudgy face quivered as he continued, grinning, “All the neighbors know how talented you are, how you got hired at Yazi Cosmetics—how could you not have money?”

“And I heard from people at work that you donate to the orphanage every week.”

“Instead of wasting money on those orphans, you might as well give it to me!”

This wasn’t Zhu Bin’s first attempt. Just a week ago, dissatisfied that his payout wasn’t enough, he tried to trick Jiang Zheng into a ‘good job’—to work as a hostess at an old brothel!

Fortunately, Jiang Zheng was clever, called the police on the spot, and drove Zhu Bin away. But days later, he was back, pestering her for gambling money, and now even bolder, demanding thirty thousand!

“Jiang Zheng, we’re family—blood is thicker than water! You can’t just stand by and watch me get beaten to death by the casino thugs!” Zhu Bin pleaded, feigning distress.

“Stop your act, Zhu Bin! I won’t give you any more money. If you keep harassing me, I’ll file a police report!” Jiang Zheng retorted, brandishing her phone.

Hearing this, Zhu Bin’s expression changed. He signaled to a burly man nearby.

The man immediately caught on, grabbing Zhu Bin’s hand and sneering at Jiang Zheng. “He owes our casino a lot. He says you have money and will help him pay.”

“I don’t know him; we’re not related!” Jiang Zheng turned her head away.

“Is that so? Then, according to casino rules, we’ll have to chop off his hand to settle the debt!”

With a cold laugh, several thuggish men stepped forward, pinning Zhu Bin down and drawing a machete, aiming for his right hand.

Jiang Zheng was terrified, her face blanching as she shouted for them to stop.

“Stop! What you’re doing is illegal! I’m calling the police!”

“Illegal? Ha! He sold his life for gambling at our casino. Your call won’t help! Cut off his hand!”

Seeing the gang about to act, Jiang Zheng panicked, “Don’t! Don’t! How much does he owe you? I’ll pay it!”

Jiang Zheng was simply too kind-hearted. It was obvious Zhu Bin had staged this with the casino thugs, playing a pitiful trick to extort her.

He’d tried this so many times, and it always worked—each time, he got a few thousand from Jiang Zheng.

“Not much, just thirty thousand,” the burly man said, smiling.

“Fine, I’ll give you the money. Just don’t hurt him.”

Jiang Zheng opened her handbag, taking out thirty thousand yuan she had just withdrawn from the bank.

“That’s the way. Should’ve done this sooner,” the man said, unable to hide his glee as he moved forward to take the money.

But before he could touch it, his vision blurred—a young man appeared from nowhere, forcefully pushing him aside and stepping in front of Jiang Zheng, returning the money to her hands.