Forbuler, Criminal Investigation Department.

Chen Yue's statement brought a significant turning point in the case.

Luke and the others returned to the office to investigate this situation.

Amir was also discharged from the hospital, a smug look on his face, "I've been saying all along, Zhou Tiansheng, to become the king of gambling, must not be a simple character.

He wouldn't be so easily killed."

Louise pouted, "But you didn't say it was Song Jinbao who died."

Amir retorted defiantly, "Who can guarantee it was definitely Song Jinbao who died? Maybe Chen Yue lied.

Maybe Zhou Tiansheng wasn't Chen Ning's biological father, and neither was Song Jinbao.

Who knows?"

"Wow." Michael put on an exaggerated expression, "But Amir has a point, we can't just rely on Chen Yue's words to confirm that the deceased is Song Jinbao.

We've already made a mistake once.

We absolutely must not repeat the same error."

Luke, however, hadn't noticed any signs of lying from Chen Yue, and said, "I think we should prepare for both possibilities.

On one hand, verify whether the deceased is indeed Song Jinbao, confirming the authenticity of Chen Yue's statement.

On the other hand, find Zhou Tiansheng's whereabouts. Since we know he might not be the deceased, it's best to find him quickly. Once he leaves New York, it'll be hard to find him again."

Louise stroked her chin, "If Zhou Tiansheng really isn't dead, where do you think he would be?"

Amir replied, "I've been lying in the hospital bed thinking a lot these days. If I were Zhou Tiansheng, even if I narrowly escaped death, I'd be hunted by all forces.

Because right now, Zhou Tiansheng is like a walking jackpot.

And the best way to escape pursuit is to assume a new identity and face, so those hunting him cannot recognize him.

Only then could he start a new life." Amir concluded, "I suspect he may go for plastic surgery."

Louise followed up, "Zhou Tiansheng's identity is very sensitive now. If he goes to a cosmetic surgery hospital, he'll leave medical records, and Forbuler and the New York police will be onto him.

It's like walking into a trap."

Amir added, "I didn't say he'd go to a legitimate cosmetic surgery clinic.

He could go to an underground clinic for surgery. As long as he has money, there won't be any records, and he can vanish after changing his appearance."

Luke praised, "Interesting idea."

Michael said, "As far as I know, there are indeed some underground clinics in New York's black market, but ordinary people can hardly access them, usually requiring gang connections.

Zhou Tiansheng is very close to Zheng Lagong, he might reach out to an underground clinic through Zheng Lagong's channel.

Could this be the reason why Zhou Tiansheng killed Zheng Lagong?

Once Zheng Lagong is dead, no one will know about the underground clinic, nor about his new identity."

The more Michael thought about it, the more possible it seemed, and he began to assign personnel for an investigation.

First, confirm the real identity of the corpse.

Secondly, investigate Zheng Lagong's contacts, with a focus on channels related to underground clinics.

...

Chinatown.

Ji Manxiang Restaurant.

"Clatter…" The shutter door of the shop was pulled up.

Li Zhaonian's family of three felt a bit emotional, this restaurant was their source of income and had become a part of their lives.

Their neighbor heard the noise too, an Asian uncle with a beer belly asked, "Yo, Old Li, you're here. Where have you been? Haven't opened for many days."

"It's the New Year, so we took a few extra days off.

We're here today to clean and stock up, and we'll start working tomorrow."

"That's great, haven't had your donkey meat sandwiches for a while, I'm craving them."

"Alright, don't cook tomorrow, I'll send two donkey meat sandwiches and a bowl of wonton soup over to you."

"My relatives came for a visit and brought some tea, when it's not busy, I'll give you some to try."

"Sure thing.

You go on, we'll tidy up the restaurant."

The family of three entered the restaurant, and Will saw the chaos inside, the broken tables and chairs, dried bloodstains on the ground, and felt a bit upset and guilty.

"Mom, Dad, how did this blood get here?"

Yao Xin glanced outside the door and whispered, "After finding Zhang Qilong's body, his three underlings came to the restaurant looking for you. When they couldn't find you, they trashed the restaurant and threatened your dad and me…

Luckily, Luke came in and beat the thugs up, the blood on the ground is from those thugs."

Will sighed in relief and guiltily said, "It's all my fault.

If I had handled things properly, the restaurant wouldn't have been trashed by that bunch." Saying this, Will got a bit angry and couldn't help clenching his fist.

Li Zhaonian advised, "Will, don't be impulsive, we still need to handle this matter as your brother said."

Will nodded, "I know. I'll listen to my brother."

Li Zhaonian patted his son on the shoulder, "You're still young, making mistakes is normal.

Learn from your mistakes.

Come on, let's start cleaning up, there's a lot of work today."

The family of three began tidying up the restaurant, mopping the floor, repairing tables and chairs where possible, and throwing away those that couldn't be fixed.

Li Zhaonian went to the market to get more supplies.

Will went to the storeroom to find some extra tables and chairs…"

...

It was past eight in the evening.

The family of three had tidied up the restaurant.

Li Zhaonian sat exhausted on a chair, looking at the clean and tidy restaurant, and laughed, "We can open for business tomorrow."

Yao Xin said, "It used to always feel tiring to run the restaurant, but after suddenly taking a break for a while, not doing anything felt unsettling, it's actually more reassuring to be working."