Chapter 134: Secret Investigation
January 6th, Monday, Minor Cold.
A significant drop in temperatures swept across the country, even in City C, it was bone-chilling on this day.
The entire city was in the final sprint before the Spring Festival holiday, and behind the facade of busy activity was a state of disarray and lethargy.
At the Golden River Club, there were few guests today; it was a calm day.
Zhao Peng’s baron promotion had been in a dormant state for exactly a month. The stable situation allowed Xiao Ai to finally relax. Besides personally cleaning him every other day without fail, there was usually only one servant responsible for looking after the room.
“Sister Xiaoping, you can take a break now. Sister Xiaoi asked me to take over for you.”
The newly arrived Xiao Mei had been addressing everyone as brother or sister since officially joining the club staff. She was modest and hardworking, fully embodying the humble and diligent style of a rural girl.
Xiao Ping had been on duty for an entire night plus the whole morning. At this time, handing over to Xiao Mei on her way to the staff dining area, she was joking with several of the Hyacinth girls, seemingly unaffected by anything unusual.
In recent days, Xiao Ping’s mood had largely improved. Even though the people she was most familiar with were no longer around, it did not hinder her efforts to reconnect with other long-time members of Hyacinth. She was indeed in the process of rebuilding her social circle.
“Sister Xiaoi, Xiao Ping seems completely normal these days. Do I still need to live with her? It feels a little awkward; I’m not used to it…”
In the female employee changing room, Jiang Yao was following her normal work routine when she ran into Xiao Ai. While changing clothes, she spoke softly.
“I don’t know. I haven’t noticed any significant emotional issues with her… She’s still very strong. In fact, over the past decade, not only her, but some of my close sisters have also departed, and we all have to learn to adjust to it.”
At this moment, Xiao Ai exuded the poise of a professional woman, radiating confidence.
Zhao Peng’s dormancy meant that Xiao Ai, in her role as both his lover and a founding elder of Hyacinth, had taken on the responsibilities of the head of Hyacinth. She needed to step up to stabilize morale.
“Why haven’t I seen Zhong Jing in the past few days?”
Xiao Ai knew that the girl before her, who had a boyish charm, had a unique hobby unlike other Hyacinth girls, so she turned her back intentionally while changing to avoid direct eye contact as she playfully asked.
“How would I know… Anyway, he’s getting cozy with that sixty or seventy-year-old Japanese fiancée.”
Jiang Yao smiled lightly, her emotions less sensitive than before, appearing more indifferent.
“Oh, you, we can joke about him like this, but you don’t have to go that far? After all, these are just rumors… We’re just having fun.”
Xiao Ai sat down on a nearby chair, starting to put on stockings, teasing as she spoke: “To say something harsh, I literally watched Zhong Jing grow up. He has his flaws, but he is indeed thoughtful and caring towards women.”
Ah… pointing at him and calling him a scumbag, and now referring to his flaws? Why is Jiang Yao starting to defend him again… Jiang Yao was momentarily taken aback, a bit confused.
“I’m not making excuses for him… Don’t judge him by his solitary behavior; he often plays mysterious with people, maybe a bit lecherous, but for you, I feel he is far more considerate than others, even more than your sister.”
“He can sense what you want, even without you mentioning it, and he helps you with it. If you say he has no feelings for you, I just can’t believe that.”
Xiao Ai’s unique composure had taken on a slightly gossipy tone as she recounted, in detail, many incidents from the birthday party right up till now, leaving Jiang Yao in a daze.
The day before yesterday, even before she mentioned it, Zhong Jing took the initiative to bring clothes to Xiao Ping’s house from the club.
The day before yesterday, while she was on night watch for Brother Zhao Peng, it was already past midnight when Zhong Jing brought her supper.
Yesterday, he even brought over the renovation plans for the new house and thoughtfully included garden decoration ideas she hadn’t even thought of, along with the brands for all the appliances and furniture…
Uh, it does seem that way, which is quite pleasant, but why does he have to be so slick on the surface while being so elusive… Is it that Sister Xiao Ai and the others are all envious?
Jiang Yao touched a strand of her hair, suddenly feeling comfortable yet proud, but also a bit anxious, or rather, feeling a trace of deep-seated fear.
“Sister Xiao Ai, a guest in the lobby got drunk and harassed Sister Xiaoxi. Brother Zheng almost got into a fight with him…”
A Hyacinth girl poked her head into the changing room, speaking nervously.
“Okay, just a moment. I’ll go right over.”
Xiao Ai hurriedly tidied her hair and, before leaving, turned back to say: “Xiao Yao, you should accompany Xiao Ping a few more days to see how things go. Once Brother Zheng brings Xiao Ling back, have her take over.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Jiang Yao nodded quickly, but once the changing room door closed, she revealed a hint of concern.
Because just last night, when Xiao Ping was heading to start her night shift, a man came looking for her again, and they had a heated argument outside her apartment.
Jiang Yao roughly heard quite a bit; it was all about money, and in the end, Xiao Ping was almost in tears from the frustration.
However, once Xiao Ping returned to her room, her expression was calm, repeatedly emphasizing the need for secrecy.
When it came to keeping secrets, Jiang Yao was naturally more reliable than average girls. Although she sometimes had moments of forgetting herself and accidentally spilling secrets, she never cultivated the habit of spreading gossip about others.
“I hope Sister Xiao Ping can truly get through this… Sigh, encountering someone who likes to gamble, whether it’s a man or a woman, shouldn’t they just be dealt with immediately?”
Thinking back to how Xiao Ping had been silently crying in her bedroom the night before made Jiang Yao feel uneasy.
Gambling is something that only differs in the number of times one engages with it. Once caught up, it quickly erodes a person’s spirit. Often, while we can commend the strength of exceptions, we must never underestimate the nature of the majority.
When Jiang Yao was working before, she had personally witnessed a living example of someone whose life fell apart due to gambling.
What would I do if Zhong Jing turned out to be that kind of wasteful person… Uh, why am I even thinking about this? Ugh, things like gambling and drugs should be dealt with directly!
Or maybe I’ll go and deliberately test him… Uh, wait, no! Why am I thinking like this? How could I ever outplay him…
With all these strange hypotheses swirling in her mind, Jiang Yao quickly tapped her head, trying to dispel those bizarre thoughts as she began to remove her dress.
However, the once intense feeling of anxiety from long outings didn’t seem to weigh heavily this time. Most of the daily life challenges she faced recently had been handled by someone else.
After changing into her dress and grabbing her small bag, she took out her phone, along with a stack of renovation designs Zhong Jing had done, hesitating for a moment before opening her social media app, taking a selfie, and sending a picture.
As usual, there were no replies; Jiang Yao must have activated a privacy number, preventing her from sharing the joy of her new house’s renovation, which left her feeling somewhat dispirited.
…
…
At the command building of the Western Inspection Zone.
In a secret meeting room, Han Guowei was alone, facing Wu Zhongxian on the electronic screen.
Both Han Guowei on site and Wu Zhongxian on screen were wearing headphones, listening to a recording.
The recording was long, lasting more than twenty minutes. When it finished, both of them removed their headphones with puzzled expressions.
“It’s just normal discussions related to the daily combat readiness of the Western Inspection Zone. Zhen Guangquan didn’t seem to exhibit any talkative behaviors from the old chief…”
Han Guowei furrowed his brow, lightly tapping the table with one hand. “Old Wu, did we make a mistake?”
“Heh, if I shared all the doubts with your nephew, I’m afraid he would be the first to disagree with your viewpoint.”
On the screen, Wu Zhongxian adjusted his position, easing the discomfort accumulated over the past half hour, and joked: “He’s currently busy dealing with Meng Huai’s situation and probably doesn’t have the energy to think about this; otherwise, I would have planned for him to get involved in this secret investigation.”
“Old Wu, in the past few months, we’ve conducted detailed undercover investigations on all sixteen members of the original 430 workgroup, including Han Jie Li, and nearly every individual has had personal information monitoring set up behind the scenes, yet we have still come up empty.”
Han Guowei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, speaking in a low tone: “I understand, there has to be an internal mole. If we don’t find them, the current situation may lead to more uncontrollable outcomes. Right now, I’m worried about Meng Huai’s actions being exposed, as his circumstances are too sensitive to ignore…”
“Old Han, it’s not that we have nothing; it’s inevitable that we have drawn conclusions. The 907 operation plan reported by the 430 workgroup was, here at headquarters, personally reviewed by Old Ye from the Intelligence Bureau and myself, with no one else involved. If we must identify new suspects beyond the sixteen, it must be either me or Old Ye!”
On the screen, Wu Zhongxian raised his teacup, his face displaying a clear smirk: “If Old Ye and I are innocent, then currently the biggest suspect among those sixteen can only be him. This is the conclusion drawn by the secret investigation team based on comprehensive information.”
“Old Han, you can temporarily stop worrying about this; Old Ye will continue to conduct deeper undercover investigations on Zhen Guangquan, while you should focus on resolving the Meng Huai issue.”
The remote meeting ended, and Han Guowei sat back for a moment before grabbing his military cap and heading out to check on the overwhelmed Han Jie Li and others.
In another large conference room, a meeting regarding the hunt for Meng Huai led by Zhen Guangquan was becoming increasingly heated, with everyone wearing grim expressions.
Tao Qiao’er and two soldiers on the scene confirmed that after Meng Huai left the team, he carried very few supplies and was on foot in the wilderness—where could he possibly run to?
Zhen Guangquan’s lips were becoming chapped as he held a teacup, tapping the table in frustration, his expression severe and tone harsh: “In order to quell his influence, while I was in the capital for a meeting, I continuously visited various old chiefs, hoping they could speak a few good words for us. However, the superficial success didn’t resolve the fundamental issues!”
According to procedure, today was the last day of the first phase of the search operation. If there were no developments, all forces would have to be withdrawn and transition to long-term investigation. The recent southwestern rotation had already concluded; now, three entire battalions were wandering around B City like headless flies, delaying many important matters!
Zhen Guangquan had likely never been as furious as he was today; all the young male and female officers present hung their heads, especially those from the Xuan Shen battalion.
“Chief of Staff, without supplies, especially blood, it’s impossible for Meng Huai to leave Province Y. Moreover, no medical institutions or personnel have reported encountering any blood-related cases. Is there a possibility…”
Could it be that Meng Huai did not stay in Province Y but instead crossed the border and had already left the country?
Han Xiao sat in the corner, perhaps the only one whose emotions remained calm. Her peer, Han Jie Li, at that moment had a blank expression and was resting his crossed arms on the table, remaining silent; the bloodshot eyes and gloomy expression indicated the immense pressure weighing on him.
Once Han Xiao’s words were spoken, all present turned pale, particularly Han Jie Li, who spun his head around almost 90 degrees, staring intensely at her face. The situation on the other side of the border in northern Myanmar was well-known—it was a location infamous for its lax governance; if Meng Huai left the country, the intent behind his evasion could be guessed with a finger tap.
Attempting to conduct investigations there was almost impossible; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been quarterly rotations in the southwestern region to counter threats from that direction.
Han Jie Li opened his mouth several times but ultimately could not utter a single word. To him, Han Xiao’s deduction was the least acceptable perspective yet the most plausible; after all, Meng Huai possessed an entire set of almost indistinguishable Burmese identity and border resident documents.
“Alright, venting here won’t help! I’ve already explained the situation to the Chief of Staff, and because some confidentiality issues are involved, the investigation into Meng Huai’s whereabouts has been transferred to the headquarters Intelligence Bureau.”
Han Guowei entered the conference room, interrupting the meeting, casting his gaze over the dozen attendees, his tone relatively calm: “Zhen Chief of Staff, let’s wrap up the first phase of the blockade search operation. Let the troops return to garrison. I’ll give you one more day off for you to rest well, and don’t let the following work get delayed.”
“Mm… That’s it, meeting adjourned. Han Jie Li, stay.”
As he spoke, Han Guowei turned his head towards a young officer in the corner, gently sighing.
The crowd began to exit one by one. When Zhen Guangquan left the room, he glanced back at Han Guowei and Han Jie Li.
After accompanying the latter in silence for a full ten minutes, Han Guowei finally dragged Han Jie Li into a confidential meeting room.
Can’t handle a little setback? What stage are we at? The issues faced by the Special Operations team go far beyond just a single brave warrior!
Han Guowei sat beside Han Jie Li, heavily patting his shoulder.
“Chief, why doesn’t the specialized secure communication device issued have satellite tracking capabilities? A minor incident can easily cause the seed to lose contact; the scarecrow model is simply unreasonable!”
“These days, I send a contact request every twenty-four hours, but the seed hasn’t replied at all!”
“Right now, I don’t even know if the secure phone is still with the seed!”
Han Jie Li raised his head, his voice hoarse, anger evident in his bloodshot eyes.
“Heh, tracking? If you defected, wouldn’t the seed’s whereabouts be exposed? We didn’t stop work when we didn’t have satellites before, did we?”
Han Guowei snorted coldly, his fingers rapping heavily on the table, his expression stern: “This is to protect the operational freedom of the seed from interference. All scarecrows are merely for information support; the execution power and decision-making authority remains with the seed. The old adage stands: mission failure may be permitted, but exposure is not.”
“I… How could I possibly defect…”
Han Jie Li lowered his head, his voice disheartened: “Chief, Uncle, the seed… Meng Ge might really be in trouble. I went to find Yang Jiu; I know it’s useless, but I just want to know where Meng Ge is right now.”
“You must learn to be patient and wait… Xiao Li, do you know? I’m also a scarecrow. I’ve been waiting for news about the Red Flame for twenty years; you’ve only been waiting for half a month, what’s that?
Your grandmother once served as a scarecrow for three seeds at the same time, and she only had contact once every few years. A scarecrow, by nature, must endure solitude.”
Han Guowei sighed lightly, stood up, slowly put on his military cap, and calmly stated: “On the surface, you’ll retain your current position. While waiting for the Brave’s contact, I still have a new task for you.”
To participate in the Intelligence Bureau’s secret investigation to unearth the mole of the Dark Arrow! Its importance is equivalent to that of the seed!
As the door behind him closed, Han Jie Li slowly turned around, revealing a look of utter surprise.
It was late at night, in a park not far from the Zhong family villa.
Tsubakimi Haruka sat upright on a bench, looking up at the increasingly full moon in the night sky, remaining silent.
Under the moonlight, the sound of high heels clicked against the pavement, and Tsubakimi Haruka turned her head to see a shadow approaching slowly from a side path.
“Miss Tsubakimi, shouldn’t you choose a better place, like a café, for a meeting?”
In a stylish, form-fitting office outfit with high heels, Emma stood silently before Tsubakimi Haruka, an unexpected smile breaking the usually stern demeanor on her face.
“I apologize for inviting Miss Emma for a conversation so late… May I ask if the Engel family has any interruption agent for initial embrace?”
Tsubakimi Haruka stood up, briefly glanced at Emma’s attire before retracting her gaze, getting straight to the point: “My question is unrelated to the Fujiwara family; consider it my personal negotiation.”
“Such a marvelous thing as initial embrace could be rescinded at the last minute? Miss Tsubakimi’s question raises some confusion… Is it related to Mr. Zhong?”
Emma paused for a moment but quickly reacted, laughing: “There are alternative methods, of course; the Engel family’s laboratory will undoubtedly yield some unexpected results.”
Regarding personal privacy, Miss Emma need not understand.
Tsubakimi Haruka’s complexion darkened, but secretly felt a glimmer of hope, “Then, what conditions are necessary to obtain this drug?”
The scene fell silent for a few seconds, and Emma began to circle around Tsubakimi Haruka. After making three laps, she finally stopped: “Miss Tsubakimi, compared to me, you are the closest to the inheritance. Therefore, I need Jiang Yao’s blood or tissue samples; can you manage that?”
In truth, this shouldn’t have been used as bargaining chips, after all, the Fujiwara family was also an ally of the Engel family, and advancing the return of the inheritance was a mutual responsibility.
Once her words trailed off, Tsubakimi Haruka let out a cold laugh from her nostrils, raising her hand to interrupt Emma: “That is a matter between Uncle Juuma and Lord Elvin, and it is not my work; it’s the rule of the Fujiwara family.”
“Then, can you accept this condition for exchange?” Emma nodded slightly, acknowledging Tsubakimi Haruka’s words, “Additionally, I can also actively keep this matter confidential.”
“Thank you, Miss Emma, for your understanding.” Tsubakimi Haruka felt relieved, bowing deeply, “So, when can I get the drug?”
“That depends on your timing. I recommend acting quickly; Wan Yue and Jiang Yan are currently not in City C. This is the best opportunity—preferably within ten days.”
With that, Emma quietly left, hardly giving Tsubakimi Haruka any chance for negotiation.
Ten days?
Tsubakimi Haruka’s heart sank because the Pushe Cat, Hei Xun, had been in poor condition recent days, and she only had a few days left until her physiological period started.
