Chapter 134: Shifting the Focus (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Tian Liqun looked at Su Yu and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Su-kun, you have brought me a great surprise today. These are two extremely generous gifts, but what is the situation with you passing this intelligence to me? You have your own communication channels; for such important intelligence, you shouldn't have to hand it over to me!"

Where there is something abnormal, there is a demon. Tian Liqun was a very cautious man. He did not believe that Su Yu was doing this just to give him a big gift; there had to be a reason!

Hearing Tian Liqun's question, Su Yu knew he had to explain clearly, or else given Tian Liqun's personality, he would surely become suspicious.

"Takeda-kun, please do not doubt me. I just wanted to borrow your channel to pass the intelligence out. The dead drop mailbox I use to contact Viper was destroyed by an accident. Just the night before last, a fire burned everything clean, and I have temporarily lost contact with Viper," Su Yu explained.

Upon hearing Su Yu's explanation, Tian Liqun pondered silently for a while before saying, "Intelligence officers are not allowed to contact each other without authorization. My asking you for help to retrieve the seal was a personal matter between us; Viper must not know about it."

However, after saying this, his tone shifted. "But you are an operative I developed, and I already knew your identity. Now that the situation is special, it is necessary to make corresponding adjustments according to the circumstances. Besides, there should be no problem in passing on such important intelligence."

Tian Liqun naturally had his own considerations. First, what he said was indeed reasonable; the circumstances of espionage are ever-changing, and anything can happen. It was not excessive to make some changes to pass on important intelligence.

Secondly, there was the benefit to himself. Su Yu borrowing his channel was also a gesture of goodwill, implying that he was afraid Tian would break his promise and not send his son back safely. Otherwise, if Su really wanted to claim the credit alone, he could have just activated an emergency contact method without seeking his help.

Now, by using his channel, he would have a share of the credit; one could say this was an operation completed by both of them together. This was a good thing!

"Takeda-kun's ability to adapt to circumstances and act decisively is something I deeply admire. Then I will leave everything to you. Also, please remind Viper to arrange a new mailbox for me as soon as possible. I will await the good news here!" Su Yu said in a low voice.

The two finished their discussion, and the leather bag was handed over to Tian Liqun. They never imagined that the jade artifacts and the film they thought they had retrieved with such great difficulty were actually delivered to them intentionally by their opponents.

Their handover was observed by two interested parties not far away. Ning Zhiheng had excellent eyesight and saw the whole process clearly. He waited until Su Yu and Tian Liqun stood up and left before he and Kang Shundong followed them without haste.

"The intelligence is now in Tian Liqun's hands. What do we do now? Do we follow Su Yu or Tian Liqun?" Kang Shundong asked.

"Split into two teams. You take the car and tail Su Yu; someone must monitor him. Follow him back and then report the situation to Section Chief Xiang. The focus of the work will surely shift to Tian Liqun immediately. Old Shao is likely outside watching right now; I will join him to follow Tian Liqun and then listen to the Section Chief's arrangements!" Ning Zhiheng did not hesitate and made his decision immediately. He felt that they were truly approaching the final target now, and the key lay with Tian Liqun; he had to monitor him personally to be at ease.

"Understood, I will report to the Section Chief immediately after I return!" Kang Shundong said, then walked away quickly, tailing Su Yu.

Ning Zhiheng also stepped out of the gate quickly. By the time he reached the outside, he could already see the back of Tian Liqun leaving in a rickshaw. Scanning the area, he saw Shao Wenguang, who had emerged from nowhere, also preparing to follow.

Shao Wenguang also saw Ning Zhiheng. The two did not speak but, with a tacit understanding, separately boarded rickshaws and followed Tian Liqun from a distance.

***

Tian Liqun was in an incredibly good mood, gently stroking the leather bag in his hand. The worries of so many days were swept away.

"A blessing in disguise!" He never expected a double blessing today. Not only was his family's heirloom found, but he also obtained a piece of extremely precious intelligence. He hoped this harvest would attract the attention of headquarters and remind them that there was still a direct descendant of the Takeda family standing his post in this hostile city. He wondered when he would be able to end all of this.

Lost in his thoughts, he returned to the intersection near his residence and walked home.

Ning Zhiheng and Shao Wenguang returned to the surveillance point near his house. Liu Yong was on duty at the time.

Seeing Ning Zhiheng enter, he said quickly, "Officer Ning, Tian Liqun just got home. There has been no movement so far!"

Ning Zhiheng nodded. Without speaking, he first took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable wearing the suit, and he felt much more relaxed after taking it off.

Just as he sat down, the phone on the side rang. He knew it must be Xiang Yan calling. He picked up the phone, and it was indeed Xiang Yan's voice.

"Where is Tian Liqun now?"

"Reporting to the Section Chief, Tian Liqun returned home immediately after returning from the club. He has not contacted anyone along the way. Do you have any instructions?" Ning Zhiheng replied.

"I will bring people over immediately. There is no situation with Su Yu for now; I have arranged for Shi Hong and Chu Guang to monitor him. You must maintain strict surveillance; do not be careless in the slightest!" Xiang Yan ordered.

"Yes, strict surveillance! We will wait for you here!" Ning Zhiheng replied.

About half an hour later, Xiang Yan arrived with several of his trusted subordinates.

"Any movement?" Xiang Yan asked.

"No, there has been no movement in this half hour. However, I think he will move soon. I didn't expect that this Tian Liqun was actually Su Yu's superior; that is quite rare in Japanese espionage organizations!" Ning Zhiheng said.

"Tian Liqun could directly arrange for Su Yu to retrieve the seal for him, and Su Yu passed the intelligence to Tian Liqun after obtaining it. This shows that there is a strong connection between them. Tian Liqun should be Su Yu's superior. Sometimes the organizational structure of the enemy also changes according to the situation; it cannot be generalized," Xiang Yan said with a smile.

After saying this, his expression became serious. He said in a stern voice, "The focus of our work is now on Tian Liqun. As long as we follow this line, we can find their leader and thus dismantle the entire espionage organization. This will be a harvest no less than that of the Shadow spy group. Everyone present here will be rewarded; you must not slack off!"

"Yes!" everyone stood at attention and answered in unison.

***

"Shao Wenguang!" Xiang Yan suddenly called out.

"Here!" Shao Wenguang did not expect Xiang Yan to mention his name suddenly.

"You have been monitoring Tian Liqun during this time. What is your assessment of him?" Xiang Yan asked. He had to grasp some basic information about Tian Liqun to make correct judgments.

"Reporting to the Section Chief, according to our observations over these days, this Tian Liqun is a very cautious and careful person. He has strong self-discipline, no entertainment life, and is very sensitive to his surroundings. Once, when I got a little too close, he immediately noticed! He must have received strict training; he is a very professional operative!" Shao Wenguang said. He relayed his impressions and judgments about Tian Liqun. Fortunately, Shao Wenguang was experienced; otherwise, he would have almost revealed himself several times.

"This person's identity is not ordinary. We must pay special attention. Finally, when we move to make the arrest, we must try our best to capture him alive. His value is great; he is not like a common spy!" Xiang Yan emphasized again.

He continued, "Shao Wenguang, we have all seen your performance. I have reviewed your file; you are a veteran. This time, Zhiheng spoke many good words for you in front of the Director, saying that you are experienced, that you tracked the 'Snow Wolf', and discovered the 'Black Sparrow'! You have made many contributions to the Shadow Group case. I hope you will continue your efforts. If there is further performance in this case, I will personally request a commendation for you, and a promotion to a field-grade officer will be no problem!"

"Thank you for your cultivation, Section Chief. This subordinate will certainly do his best to live up to your expectations!" After hearing Xiang Yan's words, Shao Wenguang stood up straight, excited, and answered loudly with a sharp salute.

In fact, when Ning Zhiheng spoke for Shao Wenguang in front of the Director, Xiang Yan knew that Shao Wenguang would definitely be promoted. Besides, now that the case had reached this stage, a major contribution was a foregone conclusion. Shao Wenguang's field-grade rank should be no problem!

He was merely doing a favor, and by pointing out that Ning Zhiheng had spoken for him in front of the Director, he was also indirectly doing a favor for Ning Zhiheng toward Shao Wenguang. In just a few words, he had shown goodwill to both, truly a veteran of the officialdom!

Shao Wenguang turned his gaze to Ning Zhiheng. As a veteran in the military with no lack of experience and sophistication, he naturally knew that the ones who truly spoke up for him were Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng.

His gratitude to Xiang Yan was superficial, but his gratitude to Ning Zhiheng was sincere and heartfelt! As he had said before, from now on, he would follow the lead of these two brothers.

Facing his grateful look, Ning Zhiheng just smiled slightly. He, Wei Liangbi, and Shao Wenguang were on the same side; helping each other was only natural!

"Officer Ning, there is movement from Tian Liqun!" Liu Yong, who had been keeping an eye on the surveillance, suddenly discovered something.

Xiang Yan, Ning Zhiheng, and the others heard Liu Yong and hurried to the window. They saw that Tian Liqun had changed into a long gown and stepped out of his house.

"He is empty-handed. The jade artifacts must have been placed at home. The film is very small and should be carried on his person. Now we have to see where he is going," Kang Shundong said, carefully observing Tian Liqun.