Chapter 125: Another Imperial Audience (Part Three)

Even the Director was amused to the point of laughter by Gu Zhengqi’s words; to have such thick skin was, in its own way, a talent.

Xiang Yan, the Deputy Chief of the Operations Section, who had been unable to get a word in, could no longer restrain himself. He pointed at Gu’s nose and scolded, "Section Chief Gu, are you dreaming of a bride? You’re getting ahead of yourself! Our Operations Section has worked tirelessly, conducting surveillance and arrests, spending vast amounts of manpower and resources to track these two hidden spies through the sea of humanity. Now you show up and want to take over the whole thing? Where in the world is there such a bargain? You should know the custom of the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau: whoever handles the case is responsible for it. Trying to steal the credit like this is a breach of protocol."

Zhao Ziliang curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Old Gu, why is your Intelligence Section so idle lately? Trying to steal work from our Operations Section? I suppose it makes sense—your section spends all day doing heaven-knows-what, with all those specially trained elite agents, yet you only handle trivial matters and haven't caught a single real Japanese spy. That makes sense, too—if you sit in the office drinking tea all day, Japanese spies won't exactly fall from the sky, will they?"

"Look, I’m just making a suggestion, and you all have so much to say. Can’t everything be discussed?" Gu Zhengqi looked completely unbothered. Regardless, he was determined to carve a piece of meat out of this case one way or another. As for his reputation? That didn't exist!

"Enough! All of you, be quiet! Maintain some decorum and don't let the juniors laugh at you." The Director pointed toward Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng, who were standing to the side.

Seeing the section chiefs fall silent, the Director turned to Ning Zhiheng with a smile and asked, "You are the one executing this case; you should have the most to say. Tell me your thoughts on the next steps."

Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng, both young men, had never expected the high-ranking section chiefs to cast aside their dignity to fight over credit like market women bickering over vegetables. It was quite a sight.

Ning Zhiheng steadied his nerves, cleared his throat, and began: "I have a small idea. Section Chief Gu’s concerns are indeed valid. We should first determine if there is a direct connection between Su Yu and Tian Liqun, and if there is a middleman involved. Determining this is simple. Section Chief Bian judged that in three days—this Sunday—Tian and Su will meet. At the latest, it will be within the ten-day deadline Su Yu gave Dai Daguang. Since both are under my close surveillance, we only need to monitor them until that day to see if they make contact; that will confirm if they are directly linked."

"Secondly, we need to confirm if Su Yu is truly a member of a Japanese spy cell. This is crucial! If he is not a spy and is merely being used by Tian Liqun to retrieve jade artifacts, then Su Yu has no value, and we must pin all our hopes on Tian Liqun alone. But if he is a real spy, he must have a handler and a communication channel. That would give us grounds for arrest, and we could follow his trail to reach his handler or even the head of the entire cell, wiping them out in one fell swoop!"

"What method do you have to confirm his true identity?" Gu Zhengqi asked with curiosity. This Ning Zhiheng had a clear mind and considered everything; he was truly a prodigy of investigation.

"There are two ways. The first is to arrest Tian Liqun directly and extract the truth through interrogation. However, this is not advisable. Tian is a member of the Japanese nobility, and as we all know, such spies have an extremely strong will to resist. Like the 'Windmill' we captured before, it is very difficult to get a confession. He might even take his own life upon capture, leaving us with nothing but empty hands and a wasted lead. Therefore, my recommendation for Tian is to maintain surveillance and find a flaw in his actions; that is the superior strategy."

"Indeed, that is quite possible. To be safe, we must maintain surveillance on Tian and refrain from acting rashly!" The Director agreed with Ning Zhiheng’s assessment, and the others nodded in succession. It was indeed a prudent view.

"And the second method?" Zhao Ziliang asked again.

"The second method is the simplest and most effective: set a trap with bait that a spy cannot refuse. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Planning Department has significant clearance and frequent access to valuable intelligence. We can fabricate a piece of high-value intelligence and place it near Su Yu to see if he takes the bait. If he remains indifferent and continues to act normally, it would suggest he is not a spy, but merely someone caught up in this case through his connection to Tian. In that case, he has no value. But if he takes the bait, it becomes very simple: he is definitely a spy. We can then follow his transmission channels to root out the entire network. It would be killing two birds with one stone, achieving twice the result with half the effort!"

"Excellent!" The Director slapped the table. The other section chiefs, including Wei Liangbi, secretly applauded; this was a brilliant plan.

It was efficient and effective. As Ning Zhiheng said, it could confirm Su Yu’s status as a spy while simultaneously revealing his transmission channels. Furthermore, by planting the fake intelligence immediately, Su Yu would be forced to show his true colors, saving them from the long, risky days of surveillance.

"Zhiheng, well done!" Zhao Ziliang gave a thumbs-up and laughed loudly. "I don't think we need to wait for the future; I'll step down and give you my seat right now! Your brain is absolutely top-notch! Hahahaha!"

Xiang Yan also looked at Gu Zhengqi and Bian Ze with smug satisfaction, making no effort to hide his pride. Wei Liangbi, too, cheered for his junior brother’s performance; he had long known of Ning Zhiheng’s exceptional abilities and was not entirely surprised.

Gu Zhengqi had to admit the method was brilliant. Moreover, Ning Zhiheng had indirectly supported his suggestion of favoring surveillance over immediate arrest. Since this was technical work, it played to the Intelligence Section's strengths, giving him a chance to get involved and claim a share of the credit. He nodded in agreement.

The Director’s face showed a look of approval. Ning Zhiheng’s excellence exceeded his expectations; he was a remarkably talented intelligence officer.

"Zhiheng, your proposal is excellent—truly excellent! Let’s proceed according to this plan!" The Director made the final call.

"However," the Director’s voice turned icy, filled with murderous intent that made everyone in the office shudder, "regardless of whether Su Yu is a true spy, he is currently acting on behalf of Japanese intelligence to secure sensitive artifacts. Regardless of the final outcome, he shall be treated as a spy, with no leniency, to serve as a warning to others!"

Su Yu was a dead man. Ning Zhiheng knew the Director’s plan was the same as his own: to make the cake as large as possible and maximize the results. As for whether there might be collateral damage, that was unimportant. Given the nature of the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau and the Director’s style, such things were not even a consideration.

In this regard, Ning Zhiheng and the Director were very much alike—both ruthless and capable of using any means necessary to achieve their goals.

"Director, planting intelligence is our specialty. We have informants in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Leave this to us; it will be foolproof!" Gu Zhengqi was going all out now. To snatch the credit, he even publicly admitted to having informants in place.

The Intelligence Section was the primary department of the Bureau for a reason. They possessed resources and talent far exceeding the other sections. All strictly trained agents were in the Intelligence Section, and they received priority for advanced equipment. Gu Zhengqi, an expert in his own right, had spent great effort planting informants in various departments, and the work had been highly effective.

The other chiefs knew this well, which was why Zhao Ziliang was always so resentful and jealous of the Intelligence Section’s resources. But he had to admit that when it came to such technical work, the Operations Section was no match. Since Gu had grabbed the mission, Zhao had nothing to say. Planting the intelligence flawlessly and maintaining precise, careful surveillance on Su Yu was a task he wasn't confident in.

The Director feigned a moment of thought before saying, "Very well. Since you have the informants, the task of planting the fake intelligence will be handed to the Intelligence Section. Be careful—do it naturally and without leaving a trace. Do not let the target suspect anything!"

In truth, he had already decided that the Intelligence Section had to be involved. This was destined to be a grand success, and as his own loyal department, they needed to demonstrate their value, or else how could they command respect?

"Rest assured, Director! I will arrange this personally. I will be cautious and ensure there are no flaws!" Gu Zhengqi promised, patting his chest. He had finally gotten what he wanted and successfully won a round.

"As for the surveillance on Tian Liqun and Su Yu, the Operations Section has done well. Continue the surveillance and ensure not a single move escapes our sight," the Director instructed Zhao Ziliang.

"Yes, Director. I will be focusing my energy on purging the dissidents, so I cannot be there personally. Deputy Chief Xiang is an expert in these operations, and I will have him oversee this case directly. There will be no mistakes!" Zhao Ziliang guaranteed. The purge of dissidents was a major task for the Operations Section and could not be delayed.