Lu Zude's physique was both a flaw and a trap.

Many young women would be wary of a strange young man, but they would let their guard down around Lu Zude.

He took advantage of this and lured many young girls into his trap.

Most of these girls came from respectable families and had beautiful looks.

They were pampered at home, which made them easy targets for deception.

Ironically, these girls were more favored by human traffickers than those who had suffered from poverty or hardships since childhood.

One day, Ling Shu's brother-in-law, Zhou Sa, met Lu Zude because Lu was approaching a young girl who was playing with a puppy.

The girl was a student from a nearby middle school who had finished classes and was playing with her friends. She was attracted by the puppy, and Lu Zude saw this as an opportunity to make a move.

However, the puppy suddenly went crazy and started chasing him. Lu Zude couldn't show his aggressive side in front of the girl, so he had to temporarily leave her and run away from the dog.

He was chased for several blocks until he met Zhou Sa, who was on his way home from work. Zhou Sa thought that he was just an ordinary child and kindly helped him out of a difficult situation. He even advised him not to bully the little dog.

However, Lu Zude was not a real child and had no interest in listening to such advice. He only noticed Zhou Sa's well-dressed appearance and decided to test him a little. To his surprise, he discovered that Zhou Sa actually worked at the municipal government. Although his position was not high, there might be opportunities for them to interact in the future.

Lu Zude had a twisted mind and intentionally tried to befriend Zhou Sa by pretending to be an innocent little boy. Since Zhou Sa had no children of his own, he did not suspect that Lu Zude was actually a demon in disguise. As they continued to interact, their relationship grew closer, almost like that of old friends.

Through a series of coincidences, Mrs. Sun, who acted as Lu Zude's 'mother,' also met Zhou Sa. This wasn't a big deal to Mrs. Sun. She never had any hope in a small government official like Zhou Sa. She didn't think Zhou Sa could save her.

But by chance, she heard Zhou Sa mention Ling Shu.

Ling Shu was considered a layabout in the Ling family, at least in the eyes of his sister Ling Yao.

His only job was to hang out with Yue Dingtang, not doing any real work.

But somehow, his monthly salary was higher than what he used to make at the police station. Ling Yao worried all day long that her brother wouldn't be able to find a wife and support a family in the future.

But Zhou Sa was different. He knew that Ling Shu was quick-witted and agile, although investigating cases was just a part-time job that he stumbled into, several cases had proven that he had a talent for it.

With time and dedication, he could make a name for himself.

That's why he often boasted about his younger brother-in-law and was quite proud of him.

Mrs. Sun had also heard of Ling Shu's name.

It was after the Yuan Manor's case was solved that all the major newspapers in Shanghai competed to report it. They were afraid that this story of a wealthy couple's revenge and violence against each other would not be made public, and they would fall behind in terms of exposure.

Mrs. Sun naturally heard about it.

Everything fell into place. Upon hearing the name Ling Shu and recalling his glorious achievements, Mrs. Sun had the idea of escaping this demonic cave.

However, she couldn't reveal her thoughts and could only test Ling Shu's character a few times before daring to slip him a note for help. Later, when Ling Shu came to her door twice, it aroused suspicion from Lu Zude and Sister Song.

Mrs. Sun was drugged into a pretense of sickness, but Ling Shu had already become suspicious and began to investigate.

If Ling Shu had given up halfway, it's likely that not only would the secrets hidden here remain undiscovered, but Mrs. Sun would have long since perished.

"She has many injuries on her body, which were inflicted by Lu Zude and his gang. It's said that when she was rescued, she was already unconscious and is now in the hospital. You can go see her later," Yue Dingtang said.

Upon hearing Yue Dingtang's words, Ling Shu nodded his head, but suddenly remembered something.

"What about her sister?"

Yue Dingtang said, "She's dead."

Ling Shu was taken aback, and his drowsiness disappeared in an instant.

"What do you mean, she's dead?" he asked.

"Last month, she died of illness. The news that spread was that she died of illness, but there were also rumors that she angered Lu Tongcang and was accidentally beaten to death by him. Mrs. Sun probably doesn't know about his death yet."

Mrs. Sun had been thinking about rescuing her sister, but she didn't expect that the other party had already died before being rescued.

Ling Shu felt a sense of sorrow and didn't know what to say for a while. It took him a long time to find his voice.

"What about the other women from the Chunshan Club?"

Those women were naturally rescued.

But it wasn't a complete rescue. Some were lucky enough to be registered with their names and hometowns, and their families were notified to come and reunite with them.

Others fell into the abyss for years, changing hands multiple times, suffering great physical and mental trauma, and even showing signs of abnormality.

These people were the most difficult to deal with.

The police stations and Jiang He were not charitable organizations, so they could not possibly take them in. Except for a few who had already colluded with the perpetrators, most women could not return to their past lives. If their families knew about their experiences, they might not be willing to take them in. Many people were unwilling to talk about their pasts and even refused to disclose their names and addresses.

After a chaotic night, with countless things to attend to, Jiang He and the foreigners were busy sorting out the power vacuum left by the deaths of Lu Tongcang.

No one had the time to care for these people, except for Ling Shu and Yue Dingtang.

Yue Dingtang suggested, "I know a nun from a church. Let me ask her if she can temporarily accommodate them and give them some work to do."

Ling Shu thought it was a good idea and was inspired by it.

"There are also some factories that hire female workers. We can ask them if they are willing to work. They can't spend the rest of their lives in despair. Nowadays, people don't emphasize the traditional virtues of women anymore. They shouldn't resort to suicide, right?"

Although he said that, he wasn't entirely sure.

After all, in his mind, even someone as strong as Ling Yao would become suspicious at the slightest disturbance caused by Zhou Sa, and even after an emotional breakdown, she had never considered divorce. There were still some feudal thoughts lingering deep down inside him, let alone these women who had suffered so much.

Yue Dingtang did not have as many emotions as Ling Shu.

"The path has already been shown to them, whether they choose to walk it or not depends on themselves. If they refuse to pick themselves up, even if we support them, it will be useless."

He had seen some people who had been in the darkness for too long and had become dependent on it. Even if someone held their hand and told them that there was light ahead, they would not believe it and would not want to step out.

To put it simply, the times are ever-changing and tumultuous, and many people are forced into situations beyond their control. There are countless others who have suffered even more tragic fates than these women.

Often, there is no hero like Ling Shu who descends from the heavens to save them. They must rely on their own strength to struggle and fight, either succumbing to their circumstances or carving a path through the thorns with their own blood.

Yue Dingtang felt that if everytime he encountered such situations and had to emphathise so deeply with them, he would likely have died of heartache.

But Ling Shu was different. He himself had emerged from the midst of gunfire and near-death experiences, yet he was still full of emotion and compassion for others.

Though he spoke in a carefree manner, his actions were resolute. If he encountered someone in need, he would do everything in his power to help them. Yue Dingtang was disagreeing with the other person, but at the same time, he was helplessly following behind and assisting.

He was angry with Ling Shu for being impulsive and causing trouble, but he couldn't help but indulge in such behavior.

If Ling Shu didn't act this way, he wouldn't be Ling Shu.

After hearing that the situation was mostly resolved, Ling Shu felt relieved and sleepy. He couldn't listen to anything else that Yue Dingtang said and his head slowly drooped towards the bed.

Yue Dingtang reached out and pinched his face, not using much force.

"Didn't you say that you'll let me deal with you? You're just all talk."

Ling Shu felt a bite on his lips, a familiar taste.

He couldn't help but ask in a daze, "Are we still having chicken noodle soup tomorrow?"

Chicken noodle soup?

Right now, he should be worried about whether he was going to be eaten or not!

Yue Dingtang raised his eyebrows, feeling both amused and annoyed.

He didn't bother to ask for the other person's opinion politely, and just took action, bringing the person to justice on the spot.

For everyone, tonight was destined to be a restless night.

Jiang He was restless.

The foreigners were restless.

And Ling Shu was especially restless.