Chapter Ninety-Seven: Clearing Hidden Dangers, Part Two

Having identified the loose end, Ning Zhiheng did not delay a moment. After giving a quick instruction to Shi Hong, he hurried back home.

He had originally rented this house specifically for its proximity to the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau, so he arrived home in no time. He first placed the two sets of clothes he had worn that morning into an iron basin, poured some gasoline over them, and lit them with a lighter. Aided by the fuel, the clothes were quickly reduced to ashes.

Next, he retrieved a fine file from his household toolbox. He drew his Browning pistol from his waist, carefully unloaded all the ammunition, and gripped the file tightly, meticulously grinding the rifling inside the barrel, bit by bit.

A Browning pistol has four grooves of rifling. Without professional equipment, modifying the rifling is an arduous task. However, Ning Zhiheng had no intention of re-cutting the rifling—he lacked the expertise for that—his only goal was to aggravate the wear on the existing grooves, and that would suffice.

After nearly an hour of careful, deliberate filing, he inspected the rifling and nodded in satisfaction. Once he had tidied up everything in the house, he rushed back to the Bureau. Instead of returning to his office, he went straight to the shooting range. He checked out twenty rounds of ammunition, stepped into the firing lane, and fired them all in one go.

Just as he had anticipated, the rifling in the barrel was severely worn, rendering the shots completely inaccurate. Only two out of the twenty rounds hit the target. It is worth noting that at a distance of twenty-five meters, Ning Zhiheng was usually a marksman who hit the bullseye every single time.

He put his sidearm away, satisfied. This was exactly the effect he wanted. Leaving the shooting range, he made his way to the Equipment Division.

Earlier that year, due to the wrongful conviction of Kong Liangce, which had stemmed from Ning Zhiheng’s arrest of Huang Xiansheng, Deputy Director Huang had reached an agreement with the Director. Consequently, Cui Guohao of the Baoding Clique had emerged as the biggest winner of the incident. Despite having performed no meritorious service, Cui Guohao was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed as the group leader of the Second Section of the Equipment Division—a stroke of luck that had literally fallen into his lap while he sat at home.

Because of this, Cui Guohao owed both Ning Zhiheng and Wei Liangbi a significant favor. Since then, he had always felt grateful to them. Moreover, as fellow members of the Baoding Clique with shared interests and camaraderie, they were always warm and brotherly whenever they met.

"Well, well! Zhiheng, you’re a rare guest! What brings you to visit me, old brother, today?" Seeing Ning Zhiheng push the door open, Cui Guohao’s eyes lit up. He quickly stood up, walked over, and enthusiastically patted Ning Zhiheng on the shoulder.

Cui Guohao had always deliberately cultivated his relationship with the mentor-protege duo of Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng, partly because he owed them a great debt, but more importantly, because both were exceptionally capable and backed by powerful connections. They were rising stars he needed to court.

Wei Liangbi was already a lieutenant colonel at a young age, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that given his potential and speed of promotion, he would likely reach general rank before forty—his future was boundless. Ning Zhiheng was even more formidable. While outsiders might not know, Cui Guohao, as a fellow Baoding member, was well aware of the inside story: the primary hero behind the sensational case of dismantling the Japanese "Shadow" spy cell was none other than this young captain standing before him.

In just half a year, he had risen from a newly graduated second lieutenant to a captain, and had been awarded the Second Class Cloud and Banner Medal, one of the most prestigious honors a soldier could receive. He had even heard from Deputy Director Huang that once the Bureau underwent its planned expansion, Ning Zhiheng’s name was at the top of the list for the first round of promotions.

In other words, in a few months, this young brother Ning would complete a journey that would take his peers ten or even decades to finish, becoming the youngest field-grade officer in the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau. Watching this remarkably young officer—barely in his early twenties and brimming with vitality—Cui Guohao often sighed at how differently fate treated people.

"Brother Cui! I missed you, so I came over to see you," Ning Zhiheng said with a smile.

"You! You’re not telling the truth! If you missed your brother, you’d be hosting a banquet to treat me, not running to my humble office to spout sweet talk. Tell me! You definitely have something you need from me," Cui Guohao laughed.

"You call this a 'humble office'? Is there any place in the Bureau with more perks than yours?" Ning Zhiheng retorted with feigned disdain. "Don't play poor with me; I’m not here to sponge off you." He closed the door behind him and continued, "But I really do have a favor to ask."

"Say it! As long as it’s your business, Zhiheng, I won’t say a word against it!" Cui Guohao promised, patting his chest.

Ning Zhiheng gave a thumbs up and smiled. "Thanks in advance! You know I love shooting, but I only have one Browning issued to me. It wasn't new when I got it, and I've been practicing so much lately that the rifling is worn out. I was hoping to check out another one, so I came to you."

Cui Guohao was left speechless. He thought it was something serious, but it was just to get an extra new pistol—a trivial task for a lieutenant colonel in the Equipment Division!

"So that’s it? You just wanted a new gun. You could’ve just filed a report to exchange it. I would’ve opened the armory and let you pick the best one! Was it worth a trip just for this?"

"I know I could have filed a report," Ning Zhiheng explained. "But this is my first service pistol, and I want to keep it as a memento. I don’t want to turn it in, so I was hoping to check out a new one on top of it."

He naturally had his reasons. He could not destroy the Browning he currently held because its serial number was registered in the Equipment Division’s ledger; if a surprise inspection occurred and he couldn't produce it, he would be in trouble. However, it absolutely could not fall into anyone else’s hands. Keeping it himself was the safest path. Although he had worn down the rifling, there were still faint traces of his handiwork; he feared that if it fell into the wrong hands, a careful inspection might reveal the truth. Of course, the odds of that were slim, but he had to be sure.

"Oh, if that’s all, it’s no problem! What kind of place is our Bureau? We aren't short of pistols!" Cui Guohao said dismissively. "It’s just an extra one! You’ve only been here a short time, so you don't know the ropes. Many officers here apply for a second sidearm. It’s not unusual. Given the nature of our work, it’s often necessary. As long as the reason is reasonable, it’s allowed. Some officers even have more than two—I have two myself: one on me, and one at home for emergencies!"

Only then did Ning Zhiheng realize that applying for an extra sidearm was perfectly legitimate. It was simpler than he had imagined. "That’s great! Please help me get another one! A Model 1910 Browning again—I’m used to that model; it handles well!"

Cui Guohao laughed, slapped his desk, and said, "One isn't enough! Your old one is worn out? Keep it as a souvenir! I’ll issue you two brand-new Brownings, and I'll only register one in the ledger!"

He added with a knowing look, "Keep one as a backup. In our line of work, you have to be careful! It makes things easier! Zhiheng, if you need guns in the future, come to me. They’ll be the best, brand-new ones with clean records. Never go to the black market; those guns are dirty and prone to trouble!"

Cui Guohao wasn't a fool. Anyone who could reach his position in the Bureau was sharp. This was not a new practice; the Bureau had many secrets, and many field agents preferred not to use their issued sidearms for certain unspeakable missions. He had even dealt with an officer who, for psychological reasons, kept applying for new guns after using his own to kill, which had been a massive headache.

As a team leader in the Operations Division, Ning Zhiheng would have plenty of such missions, so having an extra gun was never a bad thing.

"Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I needed!" Ning Zhiheng was overjoyed. Two pistols, with only one registered! It solved his major problem perfectly. If another gunfight like today’s ever occurred, he could use the "unofficial" pistol without worrying about anyone tracing it back to him.

He dared not ask Cui Guohao to change the serial number of his originally registered gun; that would be like a thief shouting "I didn't steal it" and would only draw suspicion.

Cui Guohao told him to wait a moment, stepped out, and returned shortly with two brand-new Browning pistols. Ning Zhiheng tested them—they felt perfect, just like his old one. Cui Guohao personally handled the paperwork, registering only one serial number. A lieutenant colonel wouldn't usually handle such a minor task himself, but since it was for Ning Zhiheng, he insisted on doing it personally to show his favor.