Chapter Forty-Four: Someone Refuses to Pay

In the early hours of the next day, Ning Zhiheng finally arrived back in Jinling. As soon as he stepped off the train, he headed directly to the Military Intelligence Division.

He knocked on the door of Wei Liangbi’s office, and Wei Liangbi signaled for him to close it behind him.

“Senior brother, has anything changed? Is Qian Zhong making his move?” Ning Zhiheng set his suitcase aside and asked in a low voice.

Wei Liangbi nodded. “It looks like he’s about to act. News from the Interrogation Department says Huang Xiansheng’s injuries suddenly worsened—he started running a fever yesterday. They’re trying to save him, but his condition is unclear.”

Ning Zhiheng was a bit puzzled. He thought for a moment and said, “When I left, his wounds were under control. What’s all this about? If they mean to execute a criminal, why make such a fuss? Just a bullet would suffice.”

Wei Liangbi shot him a sidelong glance. This junior had only been at the Military Intelligence Division for a short time, yet he carried a ruthless air about him.

“You don’t know—there’s been a lot going on. First, they interrogated Huang Xiansheng. He cooperated, confessed everything he knew. Some thought he could be useful, so they suggested to the Director that he could be controlled. He has family we could use as leverage, and his life is in our hands. He could be turned into a double agent, working for us. I hear the Director was tempted by the idea.”

“Aren’t they worried he’ll talk, spill the story about Kong Liangce?” Ning Zhiheng immediately saw the issue.

“Those making the suggestion don’t know the inside story; only a handful of us do. The Deputy Chief of Intelligence, Gu Xing’an, he’s one of the Director’s people. I hear he’s not on good terms with Qian Zhong. Frankly, even if he knew the truth, it wouldn’t concern him—he’d probably be happy to see Qian Zhong embarrassed. But the Director thinks capturing Huang Xiansheng was no easy feat and that he’s unlikely to speak carelessly. This Japanese spy is still valuable. The risk is worth taking, so he’s hesitant. But Qian Zhong is nervous. He wants to strike first, kill him, and make it a fait accompli so others will drop the idea.”

Yes, Qian Zhong—he’s afraid. Some want to keep Huang Xiansheng alive to fish for bigger targets, but Qian Zhong sees the threat in this living witness. As long as Huang Xiansheng lives, he’s a ticking time bomb, liable to bite him at any moment. But if the witness is gone, there’s no evidence; a few insiders don’t matter. Even if someone raises the interrogation records, he can deny it to the end. So, he wants to act behind the Director’s back.

“Qian Zhong must have tampered with the medication used for Huang Xiansheng’s wound. Later, he’ll claim the injuries became infected again and killed him—no one will be able to say otherwise,” Wei Liangbi speculated.

“This guy is bold. Doesn’t he care for his life? People who defy the Director’s orders never fare well,” Ning Zhiheng thought Qian Zhong must be mad, unable to tell what’s important, daring to go against the Director. In this division, the Director’s authority is absolute; anyone who challenges it ends up dead. Even if Qian Zhong is from the same hometown and part of the inner circle, disobeying direct orders will bring the same fate.

“That’s why he wants to act in secret. But I’ve had people watching the Interrogation Department for days—any movement won’t escape us,” Wei Liangbi said with a satisfied chuckle. It was Ning Zhiheng’s vigilance that prompted him to monitor quietly; otherwise, it would have been hard to spot Qian Zhong’s tricks.

“So, you think we should intervene? But offending Qian Zhong won’t benefit us,” Ning Zhiheng didn’t understand why his senior seemed more eager about this matter than he was. He cared only to be present at Huang Xiansheng’s last moments, to probe his memories, but did not wish to antagonize Qian Zhong, the Director’s confidant, over it.

Wei Liangbi’s eyes flashed with a fierce look. He gritted his teeth and said, “Benefit? Of course there’s benefit! Zhiheng, do you know what that bastard Qian Zhong did? He doesn’t respect us brothers! Deputy Chief Huang agreed to hand the case to Qian Zhong, and he was supposed to give us a reward—a hush money, frankly. He knows the drill! But he’s true to his name—greedy as a miser, not willing to part with a single cent. I hinted at him two days ago, but he played dumb. Damn it, does he think our silence comes for free? This time, I’ll make him pay double!”

Ning Zhiheng’s anger flared as well. Qian Zhong wanted money more than his life, and tried to avoid paying even hush money. Once Huang Xiansheng died, with no evidence, it would be impossible to extract the payment. He didn’t care much for the money, but being cheated was intolerable. Just for that, he was eager to give Qian Zhong some trouble.

Wei Liangbi was a proud man, a rising star from the Whampoa and Baoding factions, with powerful connections. Since graduation, he’d always had the wind at his back—anyone who drew his ire was sure to suffer greatly.

Speaking of benefits, Ning Zhiheng thought of another—Cui Guohao, who had gained the most. He still owed both Wei Liangbi and himself a favor.

So Ning Zhiheng asked, “Has Cui Guohao shown any sign of gratitude lately?”

Wei Liangbi pointed at Ning Zhiheng and laughed. “Don’t worry about that—Brother Cui is good people, straightforward. The day after you left, he came to me and said the promotion order had arrived. He’s planning a celebration, inviting us brothers for a feast, and he’s prepared generous gifts to thank us. We won’t be shortchanged. Most likely your promotion order will arrive at the same time—should be any day now.”

That seemed fair enough; their efforts hadn’t gone unappreciated, and someone recognized their help.

“Have any new codes come over the radio channel Huang Xiansheng confessed to? It’s his fifth day in custody,” Ning Zhiheng asked.

“No. I’ve been listening every night at ten, but nothing. You think maybe he gave us a false confession, and the channel is wrong?” Wei Liangbi was discouraged. They’d finally caught a live one and gotten a confession, but aside from some old matters, there was no progress in tracking further suspects. Huang Xiansheng’s handler had already been captured, his supposed underlings hadn’t been developed, and the Japanese Special Service Headquarters had issued no new instructions. Huang himself likely wouldn’t last another day or two. The case seemed stalled—so frustrating!

“I don’t think so. His spirit is broken; there’s no need to lie in such details. If we wait a few more days, the truth will reveal itself.

Still, I feel there are secrets buried deeper. I want to interrogate him once more—maybe there will be surprises,” Ning Zhiheng had considered this. He’d personally interrogated Huang Xiansheng, and that pain and despair couldn’t be faked. He was sure Huang wouldn’t want to endure it again.

After a moment, Ning Zhiheng asked, “How exactly do you plan to handle Qian Zhong?”

Wei Liangbi stood up and paced the room, thinking for a while before saying, “Since yesterday, I’ve been pondering it. We can’t make a big fuss. The Director and Deputy Chief Huang both want this matter kept quiet, and we’ve already benefited. If we act rashly, we’ll offend not Qian Zhong, but those two above. Better to settle with Qian Zhong privately. We need a pretext to intervene directly. Didn’t you always want a final interrogation with Huang Xiansheng? Let’s request it.”

“What excuse should we use?” Ning Zhiheng asked, then slapped his thigh. “I’ve got it! Remember I left six action team members monitoring Huang Xiansheng’s residence?”

Wei Liangbi was a bit slow to react. “Yes, you did. Why?”

The surveillance team Ning Zhiheng had posted days ago was still in place, waiting for any stragglers. Wei Liangbi had even praised Ning Zhiheng for his thoroughness.

“We’ll say that the action team spotted a suspicious figure at Huang Xiansheng’s residence, though they couldn’t catch him. What does that imply? That Huang Xiansheng must have hidden something in his confession—likely an accomplice who, having lost contact, went to the residence for a rendezvous.

Now, we’ll use this as a pretext to interrogate Huang Xiansheng. The clue was provided by our action team, so subsequent investigation should be handled by us. Whether the clue is real or not is up to us. When we interrogate Huang Xiansheng, Qian Zhong will certainly be alarmed. Then we confront him.

We’ll say there’s new progress in the case, that Huang Xiansheng is still withholding important intelligence, but he’s dying on Qian Zhong’s watch. We put responsibility on him.

Qian Zhong isn’t stupid—he’ll know what we mean. If he keeps feigning ignorance, we won’t be polite. Using this as justification, we can escalate the matter. As long as we don’t touch the Kong Liangce case, no one can claim we’re stirring trouble deliberately—after all, we’re just trying to catch escaped Japanese spies!

Let’s make sure this miser pays dearly. I don’t believe he’d risk his life for money. He’ll learn our strength this time!”

Wei Liangbi burst out laughing, pointing at Ning Zhiheng. “Zhiheng, I always knew you were sharp at solving cases, but I didn’t expect you’d be so adept at intrigue and maneuvering! Excellent. Let’s do it. We’ll force our way in and interrogate Huang Xiansheng in the Interrogation Department. Any more delay, and I fear he won’t last.”